The Lonely Letters
by JusticeRings
Summary: Harry has been alone his entire life, Dudley had made sure of that. On the brink of heading off into a whole new world, Harry finds himself scared he always will be alone. He writes a letter, more for himself than anything. Then Hedwig takes it upon herself to deliver it to someone just as alone as him.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I am not rich, attractive or female enough.**

 **A/N: This is my first attempt at writing something longer than a few pages. The first few chapters are a bit rough around the edges, stick it out and it improves drastically. I may come back and clean it up at a later date.**

Harry Potter sat alone in the smallest bedroom of number 4 privet drive. The last week had been a revelation. He was a Wizard, he even had a wand that was sitting in his new trunk downstairs locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Appropriate, he thought to himself. He always felt that he or at least a part of himself would remain locked in there with the spiders. Hedwig, his new owl, headbutts him gently to the cheek. His first friend bought for him by a giant of a man that may one day also be a friend if he didn't get chased away by Dudley, or his ragged clothes, or his painfully odd silent moments that seemed to chase away the other children his age.

Harry was alone, as far back as he could remember it was his one defining trait. In a fit of inspiration, he picks up his new quill and a roll of parchment. Staring at it for a few seconds he realizes what he is missing… ink. Pulling out a bottle and uncorking it he shrugs to himself. "Why not learn now.." he mutters to himself. Unsure what to write, or why he even wanted to Harry put quill to parchment.

 _My name is Harry,_

 _According to magic I live in the smallest bedroom in number 4 privet drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Last week I found out I am a wizard… an Orphan wizard. I expect any day to wake up in my bed in the cupboard under the stairs. I have never had a friend…_

Harry frowns at what he wrote and shakes his head, glad that no one would ever read his weakness. Thinking for a moment he feels… better… lighter. He shrugs and keeps writing.

 _My cousin Dudley puts much effort into chasing anyone off that might be nice to me. Maybe Hogwarts will be better. A place filled with freaks like me surely would not mind just one more… and Dudley won't be there to chase anyone away._

 _Just one friend… someone to be lonely together with…_

Tears course quietly down His cheeks leaving a few small stains on the poorly written letter. Harry put down his quill and lays back closing his eyes drifting into an uneasy slumber. Hedwig looks sadly at her new master and uses a claw to unlatch her cage. She gently pushes it open, hops out and grabs the letter in her talons. With one last look at the forlorn boy she flys out the window in search of a friend.

'OvO'

A small girl somewhere in France awakens to the sound of something scratching at a window… Her window she blearily realizes shaking off her morning confusion. Her bright sapphire blue eyes open to the site of sunlight streaming into her large well-appointed bedroom. Rolling out of her bed that looks like an overzealous cake decorator designed it she wobbles over to the window and pushes it open. "Bonjour?" she hesitantly says. With a small squeak she stumbles back as the most beautiful owl she has ever seen hops onto the sill and tilts his head to the side eyeballing her as if to inspect her for worthiness. "Brek" barks the bird holding out a talon with a crumpled piece of parchment.

"A letter? Who is your owner?" she mutters to the owl as she takes the letter. The owl nods in a short concise way as if to indicate she did the correct thing. She gives a brief dazzling smile to the owl then slowly opens the letter her eyes growing slowly wider as she does, tears sparkle on her dainty blonde lashes then slowly drop to join those already on the parchment.

'OvO'

It had been three days since Harry had written his letter. He vaguely realized it was gone when he woke up in the morning but never really registered it. His aunt screaming from the bottom of the stairs for him to cook breakfast and fertilize the garden. He kept the light at the end of the tunnel firmly in mind, within a few weeks he would be away from them. A place where they could not reach him until next summer. Laying back on his bed with a sigh he tried to forget how sore he was.

"Brek?" Hedwig barks at him in an inquisitive manner. Sitting up quickly his eyes opening wide "Your back girl? I… I thought you might have left…" Hedwig glared at him then hopped over head-butting him on the cheek. "I know girl…" He strokes her then grabs out a few owl treats from the box Hagrid gave him. Turning around he noticed she had a piece of parchment tied to her foot. Reaching out with nervous fingers he unties it and crumples to the bed holding the letter over his eyes. Someone had seen his letter, the thought almost made him hyperventilate. Someone had seen his weakness, what would they think of it, how pathetic he was. Something about the letter broke through his downward spiral. It smelled wonderful, like flowers in spring after a fresh rain.

Something about it was extremely calming. Harry opened his eyes and sat up inspecting the missive. It was higher quality parchment then he used, smelled good and… his heart skipped a beat. Had writing on the back 'To: Harry'.

 _Harry,_

 _I too am in need of a friend. I live in France and go to Beauxbatons Academy, My Maman says it is a lot like Hogwarts. I am a witch going into my third year, I used to have friends… but I still look like a little girl. They do not want to be seen with me any longer._

 _I am sorry to hear you are not happy at home, I hope school is a happier place for you. Will you write me back? I think I would like that._

 _Your friend._

Harry read and reread the letter until he knew it by heart. Laying back on his bed he put it over his face and closed his eyes inhaling the scent of parchment, flowers and fresh rain thinking it over. Someone wanted to be his friend. His first friend. Hedwig was drinking out of her water dish and staring at him. "Thanks, girl… how did you" she tilts her head at him "Brek." Came her reply, figuring it was all he was likely to get from the recalcitrant bird he smiled at her and ruffled her feathers gently. He pulled over more parchment and his quill and started to write.

 _My friend,_

 _You are going into your third year? So you have used magic before… that is really neat. What is it like? How are your classes? Your school is in France… your English is very good. Maybe I should learn some French, would that be easier for you?_

 _Sorry about all the questions, I did not know magic existed until my birthday this year July 31st if you're curious. When is yours?_

 _Your friends were wrong to abandon you, I would never abandon a friend… I will never abandon you._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry._

'OvO'

Sitting at breakfast with her baby sister and her mother the same girl catches sight of the snowy owl that had brought her a letter. The first letter she had received outside of the family in over a year. She smiled faintly at the owl, he had written back… "An owl dear, who is it from?" her Mother asked. She looked thoughtful at the owl then removed the letter it offered as it put its leg out. "A friend Maman." Her mother smiled at her with a somewhat curious look on her perfectly even features. "That's good dear, glad to hear they are coming around. I told you it would just take time." She nodded back absently not bothering to correct her.

She ran up to her room leaving her breakfast half finished to read her most recent letter. A soft content smile graced her lips as she read. She frowned briefly realizing she had never given him her name. She had to write back… she would be returning to school soon and may be too busy then.

 _Harry,_

 _Yes, I have used magic, I am very good at charms. My teacher thinks I may end up becoming a master of them. I do not know how likely that is… but I do enjoy them the most. It just feels right? Thank you for complimenting my English, my parents have always thought it was important we learn and I have been learning for a few years now. If you want to learn French I would be happy to help you. I do not mind the questions, I have had very little conversation for a long time…_

 _I am sorry I missed your birthday mine is September 20th, my pere always said I was summer's last breath._

 _I would never abandon a friend either._

 _I realized I forgot to tell you my name,_

 _It is Fleur._

Fleur looked at the letter then nodded to herself. She walked over to her bookshelf and pulled down her old annotated copy of her magical French to English dictionary and with a brief thought one of her earliest workbooks. Even if it was the wrong way around he may still learn something from it. Grabbing her wand she tapped the two books shrinking them down and attaching them with the letter to the waiting owl. She smirked to herself, he asked about magic. She hoped he liked it.

'OvO'

Harry was sitting on Hogwarts express, today had been a whirlwind. He had trouble finding the platform as his relatives laughed and drove away. He managed to follow a large noisy family and get himself onto the train without anyone noticing him. If Diagon Alley was anything to go by people liked to gawk at his forehead and he wanted very badly to be known for something good. That was not to be as a freckled redhead entered his compartment and almost instantly knew his name. It was a bit disconcerting to be treated like he was an animal in a zoo. The boy, Ron he found out was friendly enough. So Harry decided to buy them some food and talk to him about Hogwarts and the wizarding world in general.

Harry found out quickly that he was lost. This boy had never known a world without magic, the very idea was foreign to him. And things he took for granted shocked and amazed Harry. Eventually, the boy laid back for a kip giving Harry a chance to process what he learned. Leaning back himself he closed his eyes briefly until he heard something hit the window of the train. His eyes snapped open and he looked at the window seeing Hedwig barely keeping pace with the train with a letter tied to her foot. Harry let out a small strangled yelp and hopped to open the window letting the bedraggled owl into the compartment. Surprisingly this did not seem to disturb Ron whose mouth now hung open as loud snores issued forth.

Only one person had ever owled Harry. With a grin he pulled the letter off Hedwig's foot, he noticed two small objects tied to the outside of the letter. Pulling them off he inspected the tiny few inch objects. They appeared to be tiny books. His inspection of them was interrupted as the carriage door opened with a snap and a bushy-haired girl stuck her head in. "Excuse me, but have you seen a toad? I am helping a boy look for his he has lost his pet." Her tone, Harry felt, was somewhat bossy and overly official for an eleven year old. He shook his head and looked back to the tiny books. "Are those books? I read about the ability to shrink things down for easy transport in 'Charms year one' did you do it yourself?" Harry mutely shook his head. "The book says to reverse it you simply tap them with your wand. Like so." she reached out with her wand and poked the bigger of the two books. Both Harry and the girl jumped back slightly as it expanded. As if they were one both at the same time breathed out "Wow…" Harry turned to grin at the girl.

"Thank you, It probably would have taken me ages to figure that out," Harry said with a slightly chagrined look. The girl smiles a small smile then nods "I have to go, toads don't find themselves you know." Within seconds the door was closed and Harry was alone again save the sleeping redhead across from him. Reaching into his new school robes Harry fished out his wand and tapped the second book his eyes widening in wonder at how awesome magic could be. He inspected the two books smiling when he realized they were books used to teach someone who spoke French English. Or in his case perhaps the other way around. Opening up the workbook the smell of fresh flowers and new rain washed over him calming him, it had already been filled out in hesitant but flowing handwriting he recognized from the letters he had received.

Harry set down the books and grabbed the letter, the books could wait. He read it over twice, her name was Fleur… There was something right about that. He grabbed the dictionary she had sent him and flipped to the 'F' section, shortly he found it. Fleur meant flower, what a beautiful name he thought. Her birthday had not yet past, he even has time to figure something out. She had given him a present and it was not even his birthday, at least not anymore. He tucked the letter into his trunk with the utmost care then picked up the two books she had sent him, he had work to do.

'OvO'

His first two weeks of school had been busy. Everything was so different, he was free of the Dursley's, he was learning things that were amazing. Everyone treated him different still though, in this world he was The-Boy-Who-Lived and people treated him like a zoo exhibit or like what zookeepers shoveled out of zoo exhibits at the end of a long hot day. Hanging out with Ron took some of the loneliness away. At least he was friendly enough.

It took him two weeks but he finally built up the courage to approach his charms teacher Professor Flitwick with a request. The diminutive man always seemed so excitable. "What can I do for you, Mr. Potter? I daresay you do not simply want to stay in my classroom after for its delightful ambiance." Harry chuckled. "No sir, I was wondering if you could teach me a spell…" Flitwick's eyebrows rose into his hairline "Well that is what I am here for Mr. Potter is there anything specific you were looking for?" Harry looked down at his feet fidgeting with his hands "I was hoping to make a flower." A knowing smirk passes over Professor Flitwick's face "Ah, I see. That is a fourth year spell." Harry's face fell "Oh Mr. Potter don't give up hope, It may be difficult for you but I believe that we will manage."

After a few hours of patient tutelage, Harry had managed to produce a small Lily flower. Harry was not impressed. "You should be proud Mr. Potter for a first year with barely two weeks of magical education this is extraordinary." With a small smile and a few words of thanks, Harry took the flower and headed off to the owlery.

 _Fleur,_

 _I am sorry it took me so long to reply. I wanted to have something to give you for your birthday before I wrote back. I hope you like it._

 _How is your year going? Mine has been interesting, I have yet to find any friends… people keep treating me different. They just look at my scar and their eyes change._

 _Thank you for the books, I have learned a lot from them. Do you happen to have more workbooks?_

 _How is school going? I had to learn a charm for your present. It took me a long time but my professor was happy with my work._

 _Would you tell me about yourself? I did not even know your name until your last letter. Maybe some questions would make it easier. Do you have siblings? What do you do for fun? What is your favorite spell?_

 _Happy Birthday,_

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry_

He looked over his messy scratchy handwriting that he had managed to learn with the quill and shrugged to himself. It had yet to bother her so far, so he decided not to worry about it… The content seemed lacking but he was never much of a writer and they seemed to have a similar style. He shrugged and motioned for Hedwig to hop down to him. He carefully tied the letter to her foot ensuring the flower was securely held inside the scroll to keep it away from the weather. "You only have four days to get it her Hedwig, think you can do it?" The glare he received was enough of the answer, he really didn't need the nip to the ear to drive the point home. She flew out the window leaving Harry in the owlery, he couldn't help but feel nervous as a small amount of blood trickled down his ear.

'OvO'

Exiting her morning shower the day before her birthday Fleur looked over her uniform, she would soon need a whole new wardrobe she thought to herself. It was an odd thought, she had been the same for so long. She was interrupted in her reverie by a scratching at her dorms window. A beatific smile crossed her face as she saw the same white owl, she really had to ask Harry what her name was. She opened the window and retrieved the letter with a brief head scratch for the owl. She opened up the letter and a lily flower rolled out onto her bed. Her eyes widened as she picked it up and sniffed it. It smelled light, wonderful and fresh like it had just been picked. She could faintly sense the magic from the flower, it was a charm she thought with a small amount of excitement. Opening up the letter she read, slowly sinking to the bed as she did.

He had made the flower himself, as a first year. How sweet she thought to herself, and he wanted to know about her. She had been so alone for so long but for some reason, this year had not felt so lonely… she had a friend. During the school year, she rarely smiled but it just wouldn't fade sense she read the letter. Quickly dressing in her uniform she slipped the flower into her cap and looked at herself in the mirror, she felt special.

'OvO'

It was the day after Halloween and Harry Potter had fought a troll. He had also gained a second friend, or so he thought. He suspected that she thought of him as Harry Potter first and Harry second but his convictions on the matter had started to waver. After his last letter, he had yet to receive anything back. She said she would never abandon a friend but something deep inside of him was scared. A fear that grew with every passing day. Having Hermione next to him helped dull it somewhat. Hermione nudged him from his left "Harry, your owl has been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now." He jolted out of his brooding silence and looked around spotting Hedwig in front of him, she was scarfing down half a rasher of bacon while no one had been looking. Harry waved his hand trying to back her off the plate so he could grab the letter. With an indignant bark, she hopped towards him and offered her leg.

He carefully untied the letter with a grin, he got up from the table "Harry you have barely eaten" Hermione said watching him with some concern. "Got to go Hermione, important," he said quickly as he ran from the hall leaving Hermione with her mouth still slightly open with Ron next to her still shoveling food into his face. Malfoy and his goons had been halfway to the Gryffindor table to harass their favorite target when without a glance in their direction he booked it out of the hall.

Dropping into his bed Harry finally took a second to smell the parchment. Without even looking at the handwriting or who had addressed it he knew who it was from. It smelled of spring flowers and rain showers he smirked at the way the words matched in his head and opened the letter. He set it down and took a deep breath, he wanted to savor this letter. He rarely got anything from his first friend, today was a special day. He pulled the curtains on his bed closed and picked it back up to read.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _First I would like to thank you for the flower, it is beautiful. I am sorry I had not had a chance to write you back, I truly meant to but school got so busy. My Birthday was most pleasant, and you made it brighter. I am very impressed you managed to do the charm work yourself._

 _I have a much younger sister named Gabrielle some people say we look like twins. As for fun, my family lives on the coast of France, it is truly wonderful. We have our own private beach, and even though water is a deep source of fear for me and my people my pere has taught me to swim. The waters are warm and safe, protected by family wards. Maybe one day you can visit. My favorite spell… you do ask interesting questions, Harry. Perhaps the bubblehead charm, it is a seventh year spell, but as I have told you I am very skilled at charms and my pere taught it to me so I can see the fishes when I swim. It wraps a bubble of air around your head much like a fish bowl. But in this case, it is me in the bowl._

 _I will attach a photo along with my other workbooks, I am glad you got use out of them, maybe soon we can converse in my mother tongue. I must admit it would be easier for me. The photo may answer a lot of questions you have in a simple manner, I would appreciate a picture of yourself unless it is too much trouble._

 _Your friend,_

 _Fleur_

After reading through it twice Harry almost frantically looked through the objects Fleur had attached. Three small workbooks, Harry frowned and pulled out his wand. He tapped the three books resizing them to full size he shook each one vigorously and grinned like a loon when a wizarding photo slipped from the cover of the top book. He flipped it over and was stunned, two young girls waved and smiled at them. They stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean, they both had platinum blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. Their beauty was ethereal, Harry could hardly believe his eyes. He did not know girls like this existed. One was about a third the size of the other and was clearly younger if Harry was any judge of children's ages he thought she may be four or five. The other young girl appeared to be eight or nine, he thought much too young to be his friend in her third year of school. She had mentioned her friends abandoning her because she still looked like a little girl… Maybe she had some magical sickness.

Harry didn't care, he was just happy to see his friend. He was fascinated by her choice of favorite spell and by the rest of the information she provided and what it implied. Her family had a private beach, they must be rich a small part of Harry was glad he found out his parents had left him some money. He had no idea what it amounted to in pounds but he thought he was at least not so poor that it would upset Fleur. And she had suggested one day maybe he could visit her, this seemed a dream beyond dreaming. But… maybe, magic was real, maybe anything could happen. He would need to learn everything he could so he could speak her language. He would need a camera, Neville had always been nice to him and he had seen him taking pictures in the greenhouses and taking notes. She was smart, pretty, and nice Harry needed to work harder.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _You and your sister look extremely happy. It made my day to finally see my friend, I will ask an acquaintance to take a picture of me to return the favor. It will not compare to yours but fair is fair._

 _I have never swum before, it sounds fun. I would love to someday visit you, my relatives would never let me though… they do not like it when I am happy._

 _Thank you for the workbooks, perhaps one day soon I will surprise you. I figured I would answer the questions I gave to you, I have no siblings. And I may have mentioned that I am an orphan, don't worry about it my parents died when I was very young. A Dark wizard no one wants to name killed them. I do not remember them. I really enjoy flying, I have made one of the school Quidditch teams as a seeker. "Go Gryffindor!" And so far my favorite spell has been Wingardium Leviosa. It made me a friend last night. A girl in my year was crying in the bathroom and a troll got into the school. I ran to make sure she was okay and found her cornered by a huge stinky troll. I tried floating her out of the way but missed and floated the troll's club and then dropped it on its head._

 _You have no idea how relieved I was when he fell over, I think he may have died but the teachers got there and wouldn't tell us after. She still sees my scar first… but does not let it get to her as much as the rest._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry_

'OvO'

Fleur was laying on her bed with books spread out in front of her. The one positive side of having only one friend was all the time it gave you to study. She kept eyeballing the advanced charms book she had pushed out of easy arms reach, she was sick and tired of transfiguration. It seemed to hate her as much as she hated it. Just as she was about to stretch for her charms book she heard the scratching at her window that she had come to love. She really had to remember to ask Harry the owls name, she really was something special.

Her thoughts of the owl's name quickly fled her mind as she read Harry's letter and looked at the picture of the young man in her hands. He waved shyly at her in front of a vast dark lake, he was scrawny, with messy raven black hair and piercing green eyes. He also had a scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. Harry had mentioned people judging him by his scars, Fleur had simply figured he had been disfigured in some fashion and didn't like talking about it. Scars did not bother her, she had been judged by her looks her entire life and would be for the rest of it. What was in front of her was beyond anything she had thought possible. Harry, her Harry was the Harry. The sound of the sea filled her ears and she felt faint, slowly sinking into her bed not even noticing the transfiguration essay she had been working on was squashed beneath her.

Not only was he Harry Potter but he was unhappy, and if his previous letters were anything to go by his relatives did not treat him well. And a troll? A first year should not be anywhere near a troll let alone having to fight one. She had to contact her parents, something was wrong with what was going on with her only friend.

'OvO'

Harry had spent a great deal of time since his last letter to his first friend trying to find information on Nicholas Flamel. Maybe she would know something about it he thought. She was really smart and could ask her parents without anyone wondering why she was asking in the first place. Christmas was fast approaching and he could not for the life of him figure out to get a girl who probably had everything.

With Hermione gone for the holidays, he couldn't ask her what a girl would want, but she really seemed to appreciate when he made her something. With an idea in mind, he hopped up to go find Fred and or George. It did not take him long, as soon as he made it into the common room he saw the two of them with their heads together with a suspicious gleam in their eye as they watched Ron play chess. He walked over to them "Harrikens!" the twin grins turned on him making a small shiver shoot up his spine.

An hour later and a few new bruises from product testing he had what he needed. Turns out the twins had been planning a joke shop since they could remember. It was amazing to think that those two had been aiming their education for years based on the concept designs they had been talking about for years. The idea of the twins running a joke shop empire made him both grin with delight and shiver with dread. Pulling out his wand he charmed another lily flower then took a deep breath, the twins had taught him how to enchant it to not whither for a long while. They said it was based on his power and how well he did it, he hoped that he could get it to at least last a month.

He carefully wove his wand in an intricate pattern his forehead beading with sweat, with a snap he felt his magic surge and settle into the flower in front of him. He had done it, and on his first try! With any luck it would last long enough, he pulled out his ink and parchment to start writing. She had not written back yet but he would not let that stop him. This time he would try to write in French.

 _Fleur,_

 _Happy Holidays. I got some friends to show me how to make this flower last for longer than it should. I hope I did it well enough that you can enjoy it for a long time._

 _Do you know who Nicholas Flamel is? Maybe you could ask your parents if they had ever heard of him. It would really help me out._

 _Hopefully, you can understand my French, this will have to be short. I clearly need more practice._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry_

He smiled at it faintly then pulled out his workbooks to double check everything. As far as he could tell everything looked fine. But sometimes weird things were incorrect that made no sense to him when he looked over the workbooks. He hopped up and headed off to the owlery, hopefully, it would get to her in time for Christmas.

'OvO'

Fleur woke up to the snowy white owl offering a letter inches from her nose. With a start, she jumped back shaking her head gently making her platinum blonde hair fan out and brush the owl who looked slightly affronted. She took the letter untying it and unrolling it to read it as another lily flower tumbled out. She smiled faintly, Harry seemed to like giving her flowers. Maybe he had figured out what her name translated to she thought. She read the short letter and shook her head gently, he never stopped amazing her. A preservation charm, she had read about them but had not yet gotten to try them herself, they were pretty common in Wizarding households to keep food and potion ingredients fresh.

She slipped it into a vase next to her bed, the picture of her friend rested against it waving back at her. She felt bad that he had sent her two letters now without a reply but her parents had talked forever about what to do about the last one. They did not know what they could do or if they even believed what was written in the letters. Fleur had decided to completely trust Harry after all friends do not lie to friends. At least she could help him now, she pulled a small box out from under her bed and dug through it till she found the correct chocolate frog card.

'OvO'

Sounds of excitement poured into Harry's subconscious as he slept slowly drawing him out of his deep slumber. He sat up and blinked a few times snagging his glasses and slipping them over his ears. With shocked excitement, Harry realized what was at the foot of his bed, presents. Harry had never gotten a present in his life, at least not one he could remember. With a grin, he grabbed the first one he saw. The smell of flowers and fresh rainfall immediately informing him of its source. Looking between the letter and the package it was attached to in a brief moment of indecision he decided to go with the package first. Carefully unwrapping it ensuring he did not tear a single edge he slowly slide a broom care kit out of the wrapping paper. Attached to the top with a light sticking charm was the chocolate frog card for Albus Dumbledore. Looking somewhat quizzically at the card and the Headmaster's smiling face Harry opened the letter.

 _Harry,_

 _I am sorry I did not respond earlier, am I wrong to think that you are Harry Potter? It makes no difference to me what your last name is… but it all fits. My parents do not seem to think there is any way we can help you. I am sorry Harry._

 _Thank you for the flower, every time I look at it I smile. I hope you enjoy your present and have attached a chocolate card frog that will help you with Nicholas Flamel, I am very happy I can at least do that much._

 _Why do you want to know about an ancient alchemist? School project?_

 _Your french is very good for how little time you have been practicing, it made me giggle a little. Keep practicing._

 _I know how you feel about your scar. It hurts when people see something that you can not help on the outside and think they know who you are on the inside…_

 _Merry Christmas,_

 _Fleur_

Harry frowned at the letter, there was a little water damage near the bottom he suspected maybe a tear or two. He hoped he had not made her cry, he wondered what she meant about understanding his scar… He pulled out her picture and looked carefully over it hoping to spot and blemish that would explain why someone would judge his friend. Maybe it was how small and young she looked, would it be rude to ask?

'OvO'

Running for the owlery his school bag banging against his legs Harry was on a mission. He had to save the stone from snape, but he had to tell his friend what he was doing… just in case he never came back. Skidding in the droppings that had gathered on the floor Harry pulled out the parchment and his quill writing roughly against the wall.

 _Fleur,_

 _Thank you for your help, all of it. I am going to go after the philosopher's stone, its hidden in Hogwarts and the dark wizard who killed my parents is after it._

 _If I do not write again thank you for being my friend._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry James Potter… Yeah, that one._

 _P.S. Please care for Hedwig for me, I understand if you can't. But my relatives are not fans of having an owl living with them._

Harry Attached the letter and pet Hedwig across her brow lovingly. "Okay girl, take this to Fleur. She will be taking care of you for awhile, do what she says for now okay?" Hedwig glared at him bumped her head against his chin and took off out an open window. Harry waved half-heartedly and gathered his stuff to rush back to Gryffindor tower, It was past time.

'OvO'

A week later Harry slowly awoke, his eyes cracking open and looking blearily around. He reached towards the bedside table and felt for his glasses, finding them he slowly slid them on. The world came into focus and he realized he was in the hospital wing. It must have been late at night, the lights were off and he could not see anyone else around. Spotting is wand he picked it up and murmured "Lumos" blinking in the dim light he took another look around. He spotted a few cards on his bedside table, he did not know how to feel about that it was a weird thought that anyone would have been worried about him.

The chair next to his bed contained his school bag, he suspected that Hermione had been responsible for that. He jumped as he heard a light scratching sound at the window, turning in bed he saw Hedwig struggling to stay even with the opening. He turned onto his knees and pushed the window open enough for her to come inside. "Sorry girl, I do not have any treats on me. Didn't you make it to Fleur?" Harry said whispering his head close to hers. She nudged him with her talon until he got the message and removed the letter tied to her.

 _Harry,_

 _It has been half a week, please respond as soon as possible. You are not supposed to go charging off after dark wizards alone! I do not have enough friends I can afford to lose one to heroics._

 _I took good care of Hedwig, but she came and refused to stop biting my fingers this morning. I hope that means you are okay._

 _Fleur_

Harry frowned at the missive, he did not mean to scare her. He just did not want her worrying about him if he did not come back, in hindsight he realized that was pretty dumb. Fishing out his writing materials he wrote a short note hoping that Hedwig was not too tired for a return trip.

 _Fleur,_

 _I am fine, I am sorry I worried you. I think I was successful, I woke up in the hospital wing of the school and I do not see any Dark Lords around. I am sorry I worried you, it just had to be done. You would not believe me if I told you what happened. There were trolls, devils snare, three-headed dogs and giant chess sets._

 _I did not go alone I took Hermione and Ron… mostly because they made me._

 _Anyway, thank you for taking care of Hedwig. Hopefully, we can write more during summer._

 _Harry_

Harry tied the note to Hedwig and pet her a little more. "Think you can make it back to France without any rest girl?" he said in a whisper. She cuffed him on the head with her wing then hopped up to the window sending him a look that spoke volumes then disappeared into the night. With a heavy sigh Harry slumped back into the bed closing his eyes, oblivion did not take long in claiming him.

'OvO'

Fleur almost fainted in relief when she saw Hedwig land on her window sill as she was working on her summer assignments. If she wasn't a Veela she would be concerned that being friends with Harry Potter would be likely to give her grey hairs. Untying the small note she opened it and read it over quickly. "He's sorry huh?" she said to Hedwig who gave her a mysterious look in return, she shook her head in exasperation "If he is not now he will be" she muttered.

She tapped the note against her chin for a few moments trying to decide what could be done then walked calmly downstairs and knocked on her father's study door. "Yes?" she heard from inside. Pushing it open she looked around seeing him behind a desk doing some paperwork "I will be done in a little while angel." Alain said to her barely looking up from what he was working on. "Umm Pere, could we go to Diagon Alley sometime this summer?" she asked demurely. Alain stopped what he was doing putting his quill back into the inkwell and looked at her for a few moments. "And why would we go all the way to England, is it that boy?" Alain smirked seeing his daughters surprised expression. He looked her in her sapphire blue eyes seeing the trepidation and excitement in them. It had been a long time since he had seen his daughter happy and this pen pal of hers seemed to be the cause.

He might as well meet the boy he thought, he nodded slowly seeing hope dawning on his daughter's beautiful feature. "We can go next week, do tell your boyfriend the right date" he teased and was pleased to see his daughter flush and squeak with embarrassment. "He is a friend pere!" she said with what little dignity she could muster then retreated with a shouted "Merci!" from the hallway.

'OvO'

Harry sat in his bedroom in number four privet drive. Leaning up against the wall exhausted from the days work, the yearly best lawn competition was coming up and Uncle Vernon had been worse than usual. He had his eyes squeezed shut and was waiting for nightfall so he could sneak his homework out and do it by torch. With a start, he realized he had been hearing a scratching for a while. Opening his eyes he spotted Hedwig at his window, jumping to his feet he rushed over and opened it to let her in. He had been hoping to see her for awhile now and grabbed his owl treats from his bedside table and offered her the open bag, she really deserved all he could give her.

As she ate out of the open bag he untied the letter and sat down on the bed. It was the first time hearing from her this summer, he knew it took a few days for Hedwig to make the trip. Still, it had been a few weeks, but she has family and they probably missed her while she was away for a whole year. A small part of Harry was jealous, he wished he had anyone excited to see him when he got home. Instead, he got a long list of chores and heaps of abuse. Shaking off the thoughts he unfurled the letter.

 _Harry,_

 _I am coming to England with my father the day before your birthday! Do you think you can meet us somewhere?_

 _I really hope you can. Send Hedwig back with your answer!_

 _Fleur_

Harry's heart fell, there was no way the Dursleys would take him to Diagon Alley. They hated him and hated making him happy, it being so close to his birthday made it even less likely to happen. But they did always spoil Dudley on his birthday… if he suggested he really wanted to go to a theme park he thought they might leave for a few days without him. He was confident he could make it to Diagon Alley by himself, he could steal Dudley's stash of money he used for cigarettes then return it with money he got from Gringotts. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he took the same slip of paper and a muggle pen and wrote on the back.

 _Fleur,_

 _I will be there, there is an ice cream shop near Gringotts named Florean Fortescues._

 _Harry_

With a determined expression, he tied the note to Hedwig's foot "I know this will be tough girl, but feel free to stay there for a while to rest up." She gave him what he would swear was the owl equivalent of a shrug and flew out the window. Harry walked slowly down the stairs and over to his uncle Vernon. "Uncle Vernon?" Harry said timidly. "What do you want freak?" Vernon grumbled without looking up from his paper. "It's my birthday soon, a friend from school mentioned a theme park… could we go?" Harry watched with mounting trepidation as Vernon slowly lowered his paper, the evil gleam in his eye told Harry all he needed to know. "Oh we are taking Dudders to his first theme park, you are staying here to keep beggars off the lawn. Can't let the judges see filthy vagrants in the yard."

Harry Hung his head and did his best to look disappointed "Yes sir." He said with a quaver in his voice he was most proud of. Not trusting himself any further he turned and shuffled out of the room and up the stairs a grin slowly plastering itself onto his face.

'OvO'

Waiting for the sound of his relatives pulling out of the driveway Harry snuck into his cousin's room. Prying up the loose floorboard he shuffled through the spent cigarette packs and the adult magazines till he found a crumpled bundle of bills, Dudley had clearly been busy stealing kids lunch money. He ran downstairs and rang up a cab, waiting just inside the door to the house hoping that none of the neighbors would notice. Not that he really cared in the long run, if he got punished for the rest of the summer at least he got one day to meet his first friend.

The cab pulled up and he ran and hopped in. "Kings cross please," Harry said handing the man a twenty pound note to show he could pay. He was not entirely sure where the Leaky Cauldron was but he had heard someone mention that they walked to the Hogwarts express from there so it couldn't be too far. Getting out once he got there he looked around, he saw a man wearing galoshes in summer and smirked to himself and walked in the direction the man was. After passing a weird battered phone booth that seemed like it came from the wrong century he saw the entrance to the pub.

Walking through as quickly as he could he waited near the entrance until opened for someone else and darted inside around the middle-aged witch that looked slightly startled at his action. He could barely stop himself from running to Gringotts he needed some money. Walking in the door alone was a different experience, everything was so… big. He made his way over to a teller and cleared his throat "Excuse me sir, is Griphook available?" The goblin slowly stood up from his chair and looked over the desk at Harry. "And what does a youngling wizard want with Teller Griphook?" the goblin near snarled. Harry held his ground and replied as evenly as he could "I would like to make a withdrawal from my account, sir" the goblin eyeballed him "Key?" Harry shook his head vigorously "There will be a fee." Harry nodded at the goblin "Of course."

After what felt like several hours Harry emerged from Gringotts with a copy of his own vault key a few hundred pounds worth of muggle money and a sack full of galleons he felt should last him a long while. Harry made his way to Madam Malkins robes for every occasion and bought something he thought looked casual but nice in his size off the wrack, he changed in the dressing room and put his hand me down Dudley clothes in the bag. Feeling more presentable he made his way to Fortescues and sat down at a table that provided good visibility on the street and waited.

Harry waited for a little while checking his cheap watch every few minutes and was eventually pestered into ordering a sundae by a cute witch in her early twenties, her eyes had locked onto Harry's scar for an uncomfortable few minutes until she wrote down his order and left to get it. "'Arry?" a low pleasant voice said from behind him. He turned in his seat and was momentarily stunned by the diminutive platinum blonde behind him, she looked just like the picture. Waist length hair, smooth unblemished skin the almost glowed and sapphire blue eyes. For the first time, emerald met sapphire and they both flushed beet red. Alain Delacour roared with laughter and headed into the parlor to order having a hard time not holding in his chuckling.

Harry stood up and before he could offer his hand he was being hugged around his middle, the scent of fresh rain and spring flowers almost overwhelmed him. He stiffened momentarily then wrapped his arms around her "It is so nice to meet you in person Fleur." She pushed him back slightly still holding him and looked up into his eyes and gave him a dazzling smile that threatened to overwhelm him again, she started chattering away in French far faster than his limited experience with the language could keep up with. "I am sorry Fleur, could we speak in English I did not catch a single word of that" a cute blush came back to her cheeks "I'm sorry 'Arry I got excited." Her accent was noticeable, especially when she said his name but it made Harry feel all warm inside. "'Ave you been waiting long 'Arry?" He shook his head and released Fleur from there hug sitting down in front of his ice cream. "No, not really I waited for a bit then ordered. It must have just come out." She smiled then got an evil gleam in her eye and reached over and pinched his leg hard. "Ow!" he squealed "What was that for?" she glared at him "Zat was for worrying me senseless, really 'arry a letter that you're going to go fight Voldemort then nothing for more than a week."

He looked down at his ice cream and mumbled "Sorry." She smiled at him and snatched his spoon taking a large scoop and putting before putting it into her mouth declared "Good." They talked about school for a few minutes passing time sharing his sundae until Alain came back out with two cones. "I see I may be too late, should I return one?" Fleur shot out of her seat to snatch the cone away from her father "Non! I only 'ad one or two bites" she said with a slightly guilty expression shooting Harry a look that clearly warned him to keep his silence or get another pinch.

Alain chuckled and offered Harry his hand to shake which Harry took "I am Fleurs father Harry, Alain Delacour it is a pleasure to meet you." Harry put on a serious expression and shook back as firmly as he could manage "Harry Potter sir." Alain put on a serious face and nodded sitting down at the table. To Harry's surprise the conversation was light and friendly. Fleurs father was kind and warm, something that Harry had no experience with. Adults were somewhat of a mystery to him, they all seemed to either think he was a liar or dislike him for something he did. The magical world was slightly better, many adults gawked at him like the younger generation but most introduced themselves in an overly friendly manner. It made Harry uncomfortable, the only time people were that happy to see him a boot to the rear was not far behind in his limited experience.

Far too soon for Harry's tastes Alain stood up and shook his hand again. "It was nice to meet you Harry but we need to catch an international portkey." Harry tried to smile but it most likely came off as a grimace, he had never felt so at home with anyone as he did with Fleur. Before he could turn to say anything to her in parting she was wrapped around his side again embracing him tightly. After a brief moment of stiffening from the contact, he was unused to he hugged her back. She released him and pulled a small book out of a pocket "Can you do me a favor and read zis book 'arry?" she looked so hopeful he couldn't do anything but nod. He looked at the cover 'Sirens of the Modern Age' it said in bold copper. "Of course Fleur, anything for you" she gave him a watery smile and took her fathers hand and waved at him "write to me 'arry."

All too soon she was gone and Harry sat back in his chair and ordered another sundae before he left. It would be the last treat he would get before he got back to Hogwarts he might as well enjoy it. To get his mind off everything once he was finished eating he picked up everything he could for his second year, he would still need a few things but anything that didn't need buying later would help out and he could read next years textbooks over the summer. Once he was finished with the book Fleur gave him of course, something told him it was important.

'OvO'

Harry managed to get back home without any fuss, it rather surprised him how easy it was with a hundred pound note in his hands. Once he got back he was treated a Dursley free week, which he spent ordering pizza for himself and reading the book Fleur had given him. At first, he had no idea why Fleur wanted him to read it, it was interesting but she had never recommended any other books to him. About halfway through he realized the Veela he was reading about shared some similarities with his friend. They were beautiful women that could change into birds and throw fire when angry. The thing that tipped him off was when he got to the section about their development, Veela would look like adolescents until their magic felt they could handle an adult body. And if what he read was correct almost overnight they would be mostly fully grown, they had some later maturity the book talked about in a secretive manner but the important part was that if he was right Fleur could look like a young adult at any time.

He thought about it for a little bit and then decided just to ask her if he was right, the worst thing she could do was laugh at him. I mean being mistaken for a mythical race of ultra beautiful women would hardly insult a young woman. Harry hoped so at least, women were still somewhat of a mystery and for all he knew he could be woefully incorrect. He grabbed his writing supplies and started writing.

'OvO'

Fleur paced her room, she had been nervous since she handed that book to Harry. Her mother had recommended it to her, it was the best possible way to explain herself to someone but she really should have talked to him about it. She had been too embarrassed how do you tell someone you're not human. How would someone take that? She had enough experiences and whispered stories from cousins to know that it rarely went well in the wizarding world. She knew Harry would understand, at least she hoped so. Hedwig had left her family owlery two days before, she was not sure how the owl knew Harry wanted her but somehow she did. She hoped Harry had written for her, with her nerves in bundles she laid down and passed out. If Harry had written her it would be here in a day or two.

She woke up after a fitful night and got dressed, looking around with a sigh not seeing any sign of Hedwig. She made her way down to breakfast "Morning pere" she said blearily "Morning Angel" her father replied looking up from his paper. "Your Maman has a letter for you that came this morning, I think she may have been as nervous as you" Fleur's head popped up and her eyes went wide. Before she could ask her father pointed at the counter that had a letter already opened on it.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _I have read the whole book you have given me. At first, I was not sure why you wanted me to read it, I do not want to sound rude but are you a Veela?_

 _It does seem to fit, I have wondered why you seem younger than me but are in a higher year. I figured you would tell me when you wanted too and maybe you have._

 _If I am wrong you can ignore this letter and hopefully accept my apology._

 _If I am right though..._

 _What is it like? Does this mean soon you will be much bigger than me? I am very small for my age, shortest in my year, so id be used to it at least. The book implies wizards think some really unfair things about Veela if you are one I don't care you're my friend._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry_

Fleur almost jumped for joy, he did not care and was still her friend. She did frown at the line about him being so small, when she hugged him he had felt barely there. She had been too wrapped up in meeting him for the first time she had hardly noticed. He had mentioned not getting enough to eat at home. Her mother walked into the room and smirked at her "Your boy have something nice to say?" Fleur flushed crimson. "You read it maman he took it very well I think," she said in a serious tone "I do to dear, I am happy for you." Fleur thought for a moment "Maman, Harry is very skinny. I do not think he is treated well at home… is there anything we can do to help?"

Her mother gave her a look she did not recognize then sighed and leaned back against the counter "Maybe suggest he goes and sees the school nurse about nutrient potions, that might help." Fleur nodded and ran upstairs without ever having touched her breakfast.

'OvO'

Harry sat alone in Ron's room at the Burrow. His summer had gone from weird to weirder when a deranged house elf had tried blackmailing him into not going back to Hogwarts like that was ever going to happen. The headmaster had shown up and cleared up the matter for him and left him at the Burrow. Ron was not the best friend but his family was nice and big, It was nice seeing what he had missed growing up. It was all a little hectic for him when he got overwhelmed he would come upstairs and read some of his school books. This did not go over well with Ron but Harry was not about to stop.

A knock at Ron's door made Harry hop up and crack it open, Molly Weasley stood just outside with a letter in her hands. "Harry dear, your owl arrived with this for you. Who is it from?" Harry frowned slightly, seemed a bit nosey to be asking that he thought. "It's just a penpal Mrs. Weasley, thank you for bringing it up," he said as evenly as he could as he took the letter from her and closed the door. It was from Fleur, it was her first response since he had to ask if he was correct about her being Veela. His nerves mounted, he prepared himself for a scathing dressing down and opened the letter.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Yes. I am a Veela. I can not tell you how happy it makes me that it does not matter to you. Being a Veela is hard, it is why I have no friends at school… I only expect that to get worse once I mature, I will get an allure that will make boys act stupid around me. Maman says the other girls will be jealous and boys will find it hard to even talk to me, she says you might be stupid too. But I know you won't be._

 _I want you to do me a favor. When you get back to school, go see your school nurse and ask her if you need nutrient potions. Maman says it could be very important, please do it._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Fleur_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I lack the requisite looks, talent, and Hair.**

 **A/N: I have the story written out until the start of the Triwizard tournament. I am not sure how quickly to release it. I am glad everyone has enjoyed my efforts so far. This is my first attempt at writing, I got a bug in my bonnet about a month ago and read my first ever fanfiction. That lead me down the rabbit hole of Harry/Fleur stories. I love the pairing but nothing ever felt quite right, I am very much a romantic. I hope I manage to bring a fresh perspective on it for everyone.**

Year Two

Harry had exchanged a few letters with Fleur since the beginning of the year but they had both been busy. Harry with dealing with hearing voices and a useless Defense against a Dark Arts teacher. He seemed to be the male version of a Veela because Fleurs words about how people would treat her once she matured were reversed in this case. The girls of the castle were stupid around the man and the boys were jealous. It was almost surreal for Harry to watch it from the sidelines where he was simply annoyed that he was not learning anything from the man. He had bought the second year defense book from last year so at least he could read that and try some things on the side.

But after the activities of Halloween night, he really needed to write his friend. It was like Halloween was cursed for him, maybe it ran in the family. His parents were in fact murdered on the night, maybe he should start hiding under his bed for the night. He had grown a lot this year, Fleurs advice to see Madame Poppy about nutrient potions was a double-edged sword. He was finally growing and starting to look normal, on the flip side he had an enraged school nurse to deal with when she actually bothered to do a check up on him. Once it was clear he did not choose to not eat during the summer the rage at least was not aimed at him. He had a feeling the Headmaster had a headache for a week after though.

He finally made it to his dorm room and closed his curtains pulling out his writing kit he had convinced Mrs. Weasley to let him buy with the excuse that he wanted to be able to write fancy thank you letters for Christmas presents.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _Hogwarts is going insane this year. There is a rumor that a secret chamber with a monster in it has been opened, I found a petrified cat next to some graffiti and now the whole school thinks I am the 'Heir of Slytherin' why they do not suspect someone actually in Slytherin is beyond me. I do not think wizards need Veela around to act dumb._

 _I was also invited to a deathday party if you do not know what that is do not feel bad. Neither did I. Ghosts celebrate the day they died every year and our house ghost wanted me at his. Did you know ghosts serve rotten gross food at parties? They walk through it trying to taste it._

 _Bleck._

 _Almost the whole school hates me right now, just needed a friendly chat._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Harry_

Harry gave a half-hearted smile and tucked the letter away to send later. With any luck, Fleur would have extra time in her schedule. He knew Fleur had more classes then he did, at Beauxbatons they started their electives later but spent a lot more time on them. So not only was she doing electives when he wouldn't until next year but they were a lot harder. At least according to Fleur, He was not sure how she would know having never been to Hogwarts but he trusted her anyway.

'OvO'

Flopping onto her bed in exhaustion Fleur opened up her latest letter from Harry. Her schedule had been busier than ever this year leaving her very little time to herself. But if she would make time for anyone it would be Harry. He did seem to get into the oddest situations, ghostparties and the whole school turning on him. The first made her smirk the second wiped it off her face, Hogwarts really seemed to have no idea what an anti-bullying policy was. She walked over to her small desk she had requested and been approved for this year and wrote out a short note.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Hogwarts does seem like a crazy place. I am sorry you seem to be caught in the middle of rumors, that is never fun._

 _I will always be here to provide a friendly conversation when you need it. School this year has been super busy, I am taking enchanting, ancient runes and warding class. Ancient runes is like learning to read and write new languages it is hard now but I have read ahead and seems really rewarding. Warding right now is a bunch of arithmetic, I have always been okay with numbers so, for now, it is not too hard. Enchanting is fascinating, the teacher says by the end of the year we should be able to affix spells to objects for extended periods. It would be so cool to put cushioning charms on shoes if you fell from a broom or out a window you could land on your feet._

 _Maybe one day I will be an inventor._

 _I should get my homework done, keep your head up Harry._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Fleur_

Fleur tapped the letter that had gotten longer than she intended it to be with her wand twice making it wrap and tie itself then floated it over to Hedwig and magically tied it to her foot. With a small smile at Hedwig, she said quietly "I know, showing off." With a small chuckle, she pushed open the window and watched Hedwig fly off into the distance.

'OvO'

Harry spent more and more time hidden in his four-poster bed with the curtains pulled shut and sticking charms put on them. If someone really wanted to bother him they could crawl under them or simply yell at him, but his roommates seemed content in muttering darkly about him in carrying tones. It had been a long year and it just kept getting worse, Lockhart was a nightmare and now the whole 'Heir of Slytherin' thing went from a whispered rumor behind his back to a full-blown pandemic. He pulled out his quill and parchment intending to start his homework, but homework generally did not start with 'Dear Fleur'.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _You would not believe my luck if you can even call it that. When I was little my relatives took me begrudgingly to a zoo, my favorite part was a snake exhibit with a giant snake from South America I think. Now don't freak out, but I talked to the snake a little bit then vanished the glass from his cage so he could be free. What can I say, I was young and I did not really mean too. I always figured being able to talk to snakes was just something magical people could do._

 _Wrong. Oh so wrong, You probably know, you were raised magical. But apparently, I am a parselmouth._

 _The school went from rumors I was a dark wizard killing cats to outright hostility the second they found out. Even my friends are scared of me, it has been really hard._

 _On the bright side, I should really thank you for recommending nutrient potions. The school nurse went ballistic when she checked me to see if I needed them. I have already grown a few inches and won't be pushed over in a light wind or tackled by adorable tiny blondes._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Harry_

Writing to Fleur always made him feel better. He knew she would not think he was a dark wizard just for talking to snakes. It's not like the snakes he had talked to had ever been mean, he could understand it a little then. So far they had been rather nice, which he could not really say for humans. Was it weird that his best friend was not human and the only nice interactions he had were with snakes...

'OvO'

Slamming her trunk shut as hard as she could to try to get it to latch over her clothes was beginning to become tiring. Fleur could really use an extra thirty pounds of leverage at this point. With one last leap she plopped down on the top and heard a satisfying click, her celebration was cut short by spotting Hedwig watching her curiously. She flushed and ran over to remove the note "Just packing for the 'oliday break 'edwig." She ruffled her feathers and sat back down on her trunk to read Harry's letter.

The passing emotions on her face would be hard to read for most, concern, happiness than a blush. He thought she was adorable… for some reason, it made her all warm inside. Anyone else saying that about her would get more than a few stinging hexes sent in their direction. But a Parselmouth, that was a little troubling. It did not bother her even a little, but it would make it harder on Harry. Even in France where the stigma had never become full-blown, it was still a mysterious gift that no one really trusted. The rarity of it probably being the root cause, it was almost unheard of and with the exception of Harry, every example was not so good. She really needed to come up with a way to help Harry, her parents wouldn't or couldn't they just told her legally he had guardians that were responsible and that wouldn't change until he was married or of age. She shook her head and sat down to give Harry the only thing she could. Her unconditional support.

'OvO'

The polyjuice potion had been an outright failure, who would've thought that Draco Malfoy would have known nothing… well in hindsight Harry could admit that he probably could have called that one. It had taken weeks for Catmione as he called her in his own head, and only in his own head, had gotten out of the hospital wing. Then there was that weird journal, something about it made him shiver. There was just something not right about it, but he figured a great many magical items probably spoke. He had seen cartoons with talking swords and chairs and other things. Harry briefly wondered if cartoons were based on muggles running into magical stuff and being obliviated of it. The muggles studies teacher might know, he shook the thought off.

He had to decide what he would be taking as electives, Ron really wanted to take the easiest possible classes and Hermione seemed to want to take all of them. Fleur took stuff that she was passionate about or would help her most in her future, Harry thought that was brilliant. Why not run it by Fleur, he thought. She was older than him and her advice had always been fantastic.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _Panic continues to grow in the school and people still think I am evil. But enough of that, we have to choose our electives for next year and I wanted to ask you what I should do._

 _My friend Ron wants to do the easiest classes and my friend Hermione wants to do everything. They seem to be the extremes of the spectrum._

 _What do you think? Hogwarts does not teach Enchanting which is a shame, I would really love to learn that. You think you could teach me one day?_

 _My choices are Muggle Studies (I grew up with muggles, probably useless) ancient runes, Arithmancy, care of magical creatures and divination. We are supposed to choose at least two._

 _Know what would be a cool idea to enchant? Clothes that change color, I know a quick charm can do it but you could be a chameleon, or have a dress change to match someone else or something._

 _Hope your school year has been better than mine._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Harry_

 _Harry sealed it and grabbed his invisibility cloak, he really did not feel like dealing with anyone today. He made his way to the owlery and sent off the letter with a slight smile, it was like a weight had lightened on his shoulders. Writing to her always made him feel better._

'OvO'

A gentle sobbing could be heard from the four poster bed in which Fleur resided, the blankets pulled up and over her head. Her day had been especially hard, her childhood friends rarely acknowledged her anymore but they had long since gone through the beginning stages of puberty. They had been in the common area comparing newly minted bust sizes when they caught Fleur's eye and all burst out laughing. Fleur kept her nose in the air and a haughty expression on her face just long enough to make it into her room.

Her Maman had told her, warned her really. One day it would happen, and one day it would happen for her. She was not sure if she looked forward to becoming a woman or dreaded it. Those looks and laughs would one day become jealous and scathing, at least boys only ignored her right now.

Hearing the scratching of Hedwig at the window was just what she needed in this moment. Hopping up she headed for the window and retrieved the letter. She took a moment to smell it to calm herself down, Harry's letters always smelled of broom polish and something else she could not place. It was pleasant in a way she couldn't put her finger on. After a moment she opened up the letter. And read it through twice.

Of course, Harry was having a rough time at school, when wasn't he. He seemed to be a magnet for that sort of thing. He trusted her with his future, the thought made her smile. She giggled a little at the thought of having to tell him that women's fashion had been utilizing color changing clothes for a long time in the wizarding world. His idea of making it act like a chameleon was good though, maybe she would make that a project for next year.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I highly recommend ancient runes, now that I have been doing it for awhile I can see how useful it is. A great many things that people take for granted in wizarding homes are done with runes, if you can think of something magical you have seen around Hogwarts there is a good chance it is either rune crafted or enchanted. I would love to teach you enchanting one day, maybe after school, we can work together. Wouldn't that be magnifique?_

 _Arithmancy is the basis for warding, and I can only imagine they will eventually touch on its applications. If they do not I will just have more to teach you! You should take it so we have more to talk about. Do not worry if your good with numbers or not, I am not very good with them myself but still enjoy it even if I will never be great at it._

 _For the last one… I do not know Harry. Divination is useless unless the gift runs in your family, and even then it is extremely rare. So I would not recommend that one if you really like magical creatures that can have many uses. We do not have it here, it is part of our history classes._

 _Those are my recommendations, I do not care what you do as long as you are happy._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Fleur_

She tied it to Hedwig's leg and pet her absent-mindedly for a little bit watching her take water and some food from a pair of dishes she had gotten for just this purpose. She hoped one day she could spend more time with Harry. Even a penpal friend was better than no friend, but the dream of working with Harry awoke an almost physical pain to be closer to him. Only a few more years and maybe she could get a job in England.

'OvO'

Harry was freaking out, he knew why he had not told Fleur he was going under the school to kill an ancient basilisk and save a friend's little sister. His last letter like that had gotten him wickedly pinched. But she was going to kill him when he told her he had almost died six times over. His fingers ran over the round scar from the fang that went through his arm. Even he had a hard time believing what had happened. Should he tell her? He shook his head and had to resist the urge to slap himself.

What a stupid thing to think, of course, he should tell her. She would understand and he would take all the pinches in the world if necessary. Harry sighed and hopped out of bed, he was not ready to face the consequences of what happened. He had broken every school rule in the book, he had saved Ginny but he somehow doubted adults would take that into account. He had also been somewhat responsible for the idiot Lockhart having his mind wiped, not that it was much of a change.

He searched through desks as silently as he could looking for writing materials. When he eventually gathered what he needed he snuck back to his bed. He noticed someone had put a bronze plaque over it that said 'For Use by Harry Potter' he could not help but chuckle darkly at the jest.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _I want to thank you for saving my life before I continue I want to assure you I am fine. I am resting in the hospital wing and I feel fine._

 _Now that is said I will tell you what happened, my friend's little sister was possessed by a book owned by Tom Marvolo Riddle. That is apparently Voldemort's real name, who knew that Lord Flight from Death had changed his name? I would not be surprised if you did, the French probably laugh that we are scared of a guy named that. Anyway, she was the one responsible for the attacks all year. And I guess in a way responsible for the whole school hating me… I am sure they would have found an excuse anyway._

 _After my friend got petrified it took me awhile to figure out was going on. By the time I did my friend's sister had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets. It is a real place, a scary dark cave/big stone hall under the school. I had to jump down a pipe to go save her, your idea of cushioning charms on shoes saved my life. I landed better than I otherwise would have, and when I fought the sixty foot basilisk it was the cushioning charms that stopped me from being knocked around as much as I could have._

 _A Phoenix owned by the headmaster scratched out the basilisk's eyes and I managed to find an ancient sword owned by Godric Gryffindor, he was a founder of the school and I am in the house named after him, pretty cool right? The basilisk bit me putting me right in his mouth so I stabbed him. He got my arm… the fang was hanging out till I took it and stabbed it through the journal that was possessing my friend's sister killing the shadow thing coming out of it._

 _I think I was dying at this point, the venom from the fang did not feel good but the Phoenix had already cried on it…_

 _That is a bit garbled but you get the picture, we got flown out of down there and I woke up here. It is late at night and I just needed to tell someone._

 _The one thing that made me keep going was the thought that I would never get to write you again._

 _Thanks, Fleur._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Harry_

 _P.S. Please do not kill me._

Harry grinned as he saw Hedwig sitting on the window sill faithfully waiting for him to send his letter. He tied it to her leg and mumbled into her ear "Fleur again as always girl, going back to the Dursleys soon. I will understand if you want to stay with her again." With a brief glance, she headbutt him on the chin and hopped out the window. Harry shook his head and sat back in the bed, he could hear shouting from the other side of the door. It was time to face the music.

'OvO'

"Putain merde!" she cursed loudly. She had been marching back and forth ever since she had read Harry's latest letter. Trying out all the interesting curse words she had learned at school was helping her calm down somewhat, as long as her mother never heard her she was safe from a soap bar to the mouth. He had almost died, and not like the many times he seems to have fallen off his broom in Quidditch. He had almost died from things that really should have killed him.

She was going to have to beg, plead or beat his death wish out of him. She could hardly lose her only friend because he seemed to be suicidally heroic. She took a few deep breaths and sat down at her writing desk.

 _Harry James Potter,_

 _You read the book about Veela I sent you Oui?_

 _If you do not be more careful I will burn your bits off. Poof smoke, fire, non little Harrys._

She snorted at the image then flushed slightly thinking of herself holding one of Harry's children in her arms.

 _I am glad you are alive, and even happier anything I said or did made it possible. Be more careful for me? If you live until next time I see you I will try to make you some enchanted boots with cushioning charms to keep you safe._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Fleur_

She took the letter over to Hedwig and tied it to her leg "'Edwig you must do me a favor, bite 'im zo 'e will not forget, Oui?" Hedwig gave her an appraising look and then bobbed her head in a way that Fleur thoroughly suspected was a nod. "You understand me? Then go." she opened the window and shook her head slowly. That boy might just drive a Veela to have grey hair.

'OvO'

Harry's summer had been awful, he knew Fleur was not really too mad at him but he had to promise to be far more circumspect with his life in the future. She seemed to have the ability to make him feel things no one else could, it was different from Ron and Hermione. They were friends, maybe Fleur felt like family? He wouldn't know, he wished he did. He also did not know how he found himself in the situations he did. He had blown up his Aunt Marge and had been on the run, luckily the Minister of Magic had been very nice to him and he was now resting in his own room in the Leaky Cauldron.

He had promised Fleur he would write her any time his life was in danger and he figured this counted. He dug through his trunk tossing clothing on the bed until he found the small case that opened out to be a small writing platform. He walked over to the bed with it and sat down and opened it up, he would never get used to things that were bigger on the inside.

 _Dear Fleur_

 _I promised I would write every time something threatened my life. So I figured I owed you one. Yesterday was my birthday, instead of a party, I got to be in the presence of my Aunt Marge. She is an awful woman that owns large evil dogs, she enjoys making them attack me. She spent the entire dinner talking poorly about my parents, I tried thinking of all the nice things you have ever said but eventually, she said that Voldemort did the world a favor by killing my parents._

 _I… got a bit angry and did some accidental magic. She blew up like a balloon and floated up to the ceiling. I thought I was going to get expelled so I ran away, I know, not my smartest moment. I just had to get away. I accidentally called the night bus, it almost ran me over. It got me to the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, I am going to be staying here for the rest of summer. Maybe you could visit. The British Minister of Magic found me here and told me I was not in trouble for what I did, I thought they would expel me. It's one of the reasons I ran for it._

 _So here's the main reason I am writing. The man that betrayed my parents and told Voldemort how to find them escaped from prison and apparently he wants me dead. I do not want you to worry I am safe and happier than I have ever been during a summer._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Harry_

Harry looked it over carefully, he hoped it would not scare her. He would understand if someone did not want to be near him. Not only did he have the most evil Dark wizard of all time after him he had a psychopathic mass murderer after him too.

'OvO'

Fleur was frustrated, probably more frustrated than she had ever been in her life. Her parents simply did not have the time to take her to England this summer. She had begged and pleaded, she had even tried to bargain for a cousin to take her but was stymied with each attempt. There was simply no way to make it happen. She desperately wanted to help Harry, at least he was safe and away from his horrible relatives. They were swine that should be in prison.

She had to tell Harry she wouldn't be able to make it, she also had to come up with a plan to help him. She had the first stirrings of one but needed to do a lot more reading before trying it. She sighed and sat down at her writing desk, might as well get it over with.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I am sorry to hear about your troubles, I think you did the right thing blowing up the cochon. She deserved it, who did she think she was insulting your parents so? If I ever meet her I will turn her into a form more fitting._

 _Thank you for telling me immediately about your most recent brush with death, I will try to come up with a plan to help you. Hopefully, you never have to go back to those people. I tried to find a way to visit you this summer but it just is not possible, maybe if you can figure out how to get to France… but with that man out of prison, it is probably a bad idea._

 _If you need anything at all let me know. I will always be here for you._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Fleur_

'OvO'

Harry received Fleur's response a few days into his stay in Diagon Alley, he was sad to hear he would not be seeing her but was glad that she was more upset with his relatives than anything he did. It made him feel warm inside that she had tried so hard to come see him.

So far his stay had been fantastic, he got all of his required school supplies on his first day and had been spending time eating ice cream and doing his homework since. It was almost a dream come true. As long as you ignored all the posters of the ragged long haired madman that had apparently sworn to kill him. His only real worry was his permission slip to go to Hogsmeade. His relatives certainly would not sign it and the Minister of magic refused to saying it was a bad idea. A small part of Harry agreed with him, but he would be surrounded by friends and other school children. He doubted even a psychotic madman would plow through an entire schools worth of children to get at him, he had to have some decency.

Before too long his summer of peace and ice cream came to an end when the Weasley's showed up to do their school year shopping. Harry had been excited to see them, it was always pleasant to watch a loving family even if it was from the outside. Molly Weasley had tried to treat him like a baby putting him on edge for their entire trip. It was a nice sentiment but his mother was dead and it really did not feel right coming from her.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when they finally left for home, he would be seeing them in less than a week. They were planning on stopping here first to pick him up and help get him to Kings Cross. With his trunk he might even have trouble with the trip alone, he had upgraded his trunk to one with tons of space and charms to make it lighter but if muggles noticed him carrying it he could get in trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I wish I did.**

 **A/N: The response to my little story has been phenomenal. I can not thank you all enough for how awesome you all are. I have received some valid criticism that I am rushing the story. I had written all the way up to the Triwizard tournament before ever making an account on this site so I missed out on a lot of feedback. I am learning as I go and writing for myself before all others. I really hope you continue to enjoy my efforts. As of 1/25/2018 I am still writing year four. It is turning out to be much larger than the previous years and will need to be split up I won't leave you guys hanging too long.**

Year Three

Harry was resting in his bed after the welcoming feast, apparently, a dementor trying to suck his soul out of his mouth was tiring. He was truly disturbed, and at the same time painfully interested in hearing his mother's last moments. She had died for him, begged for his life without regard for her own. The thought brought tears to his eyes he tried not to let fall, he had a family that loved him once. He so badly wanted a family. He shook his head and realized that almost losing one's soul counted as a near-death experience and pulled out his writing kit.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _I bet you did not expect me to almost die on my first day! Well, surprise!_

 _I am fine, they put dementors around the school to guard it and look for Sirius Black. It turns out Dementors really like me… or hate me… not sure which. But one tried to suck my soul out, but the weird thing was I heard my mum when they came close. She was begging Voldemort to not kill me… like she knew he was going for me. She begged him to kill her instead, she loved me. No one has ever loved me._

 _No one will sign my form to go to Hogsmeade with the rest of the students. It is a small village just outside school with joke shops and candy stores. You need a guardian that does not hate you apparently. I will be the only third year or higher left in Hogwarts on those weekends…_

 _Sorry if the letter is too depressing, how is school for you this year? Really busy I imagine once you get going, you will be taking your OWLs at the end of the year right? Good luck! Which I will wish you before as well._

 _Your friend forever,_

 _Harry_

If it was a letter to anyone else Harry would have worried about her judging him. He did not like anyone to think that he was a whiner, but with Fleur he was confident she would understand. He wiped off his face and took a few deep breaths, he did not notice the tears that had fallen on the letter as he sealed it ready to tie to Hedwig. He opened up his curtains and looked at the time, he had just enough to get up to the owlery and get this off tonight. He already felt a little better, watching Hedwig head off to France and Fleur would be like a bar of chocolate.

'OvO'

The letter on Fleurs bed was the source of a great deal of emotional turmoil for the diminutive blonde. She had tears coursing down her cheeks and she did not think it would end anytime soon. Harry had no family, she knew that. His relatives were terrible awful people but it had never registered to her that he had never been loved. She had a burning need to provide him with both, she had a plan. It was not the best plan but it was all she had, she would not tell him what it was. He would trust her to do it, she knew he would. She was set on her path, she had no other choice.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I am glad to hear the Dementors did not get you. Your Headmaster is an idiot for letting them anywhere near the school. I am sure your mother and father loved you very much, and if you are in need of a family you can be an honorary member of mine. I have a plan, but I need you to trust me._

 _I know you do, I am sending with this letter a vial of my blood. I need you to send me one too, then at midnight on winter solstice we cut our hand and pour it into the cut at the same time and think about each other. It won't hurt you and if I am right it may help me help you._

 _I know coming from a non-magical background it may seem weird or scary. Please do not tell anyone, and please trust me._

 _Love,_

 _Fleur_

Fleur blushed heavily looking at the last two words, they were important. He needed to know he was loved by someone. She grabbed her wand and summoned a small glass vial then cast a small piercing hex on her hand, she bit her lip and allowed her slightly pink blood to drip into the vial. She sucked on her finger until it stopped bleeding and sealed the vial with some wax from her bedside candle. She attached it to the letter and took a deep breath then pushed open the window and watched Hedwig flyway.

'OvO'

Harry received Fleurs most recent letter at breakfast. He untied it from Hedwig's leg and stuffed two pieces of toast in his mouth. He looked at Hermione and Ron who were looking at him in various mixtures of shock and surprise "Whose that from Harry?" asked Hermione. Harry looked at her for a moment then tried talking around the toast "No… un ..mione" he managed to get out. He waved with his free hand and scooped up his book bag and ran out of the hall. Ron shook his head and grumbled "Mental" and went back to eating as Hermione stared inquisitively after Harry.

Harry quickly closed his curtains and sat down to read the letter, he had the better part of the afternoon off before he had to get to Defense against the Dark Arts. He opened up and was surprised to see a small vial with a pinkish substance in it. Fleur would explain it in the letter he figured and started to read. He was slightly stunned once he finished and read it two more times just to be sure.

He picked up the vial and looked at it closely, her blood… guess Veela's bleed differently. Doing what she requested did not bother him overly much. Sure it seemed weird, but no weirder than soul-sucking flying death creatures. And she trusted him, and he trusted her. She had signed the letter 'Love' that is what was really throwing him for a loop. He supposed friends could love friends, but no one had ever said or wrote anything like it to him. He ran his fingers gently over the word and smelled the letter, fresh rainfall and spring flowers invaded his senses.

Harry pulled out his writing kit, he dug around for an empty ink bottle and an old broken quill. He took a deep breath and jabbed his palm with the quill and let the blood slowly fill the bottle. Once it was done he took the sealing wax that came with the kit and made sure it was closed well.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _I trust you completely, I have attached the blood you wanted. I would be honored to be an honorary member of your family. I guess I should also attach your birthday present, I got it from my families vault. It was gathering dust so do not worry about the price._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Harry hesitated on the word love for a long time. But in the end, decided everything he was or had was hers if she only asked. He was not sure what love was, but she had it if he had any to give. Without a moment's hesitation, he tied the bottle and the women's ring he had found in his family vault to the letter. He hoped she liked it.

'OvO'

The young woman danced around the room looking at the letter on her writing desk. He had trusted her, and he had sent her a ring for her birthday. A beautiful platinum ring with his families crest worked below a large emerald the color of his eyes. She suspected he did not know the meaning of the ring but was still pleased that he thought so highly of her. She took a thin white gold chain out of her jewelry box and slipped it through the ring and hung it around her neck. It was far too big for her hands of a small child, but soon that would no longer be a problem. Veela never reached seventeen before maturing, she was expecting it any day.

She sat back down at her writing desk and started to make plans for the holidays. It would be a momentous Christmas, hopefully, her first as a full Veela.

 _Dear Harry!_

 _Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is a beautiful gift! My School year has been very busy, but I always have time for you. If you need anything just write, maybe you should ask your new professor to teach you to fend off Dementors?_

 _Love,_

 _Fleur_

'OvO'

The day after Halloween Harry sat in his bunk contemplating another 'I barely survived' letter to Fleur. They were getting uncomfortably common, Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place in the world. He was starting to feel like someone was pulling one over on him. He sighed and pulled out his writing kit and leaned back against his headboard.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _It seems it is time for my now monthly 'I almost died' letter. Sirius Black broke into my dorm with a great big knife. Luckily, for me anyway, he got the wrong bed and nearly killed my friend Ron. He started screaming which made the psycho scarper._

 _So you can see I was not harmed, he did not come within ten feet of me. But when it comes to brushes with death I promised to never leave you uninformed again._

 _I am oddly looking forward to Christmas, If only as a show of trust and friendship. I did not think to get you anything else but will make it up to you this summer sometime._

 _I hope your school year is going well, mine is busy. Our new defense teacher is excellent and I have almost gotten him to agree to teach me how to fight off Dementors._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Harry had not realized until he was already writing that he had forgotten to prepare something for Fleur for Christmas. Maybe she would take whatever ritual they were going to do as present enough, he knew he did. It was an odd thought but it really did mean a lot to him, it was oddly intimate. The idea that he and Fleur would share each other's blood even in a small way.

'OvO'

Harry's Christmas had been truly odd, he had received the best broom in the world from a mysterious person. Without a second thought, he walked it down to McGonagall's office and told her how he received it. She promised to return it to him before the next Quidditch match after looking it over to make sure it was not dangerous in any way. He thanked her and headed back to his dorm. The rest of his presents were a book from Hermione and a wizarding chess set from Ron, his old one having been left at the Dursleys. He also received some candies and Weasley sweater which he quickly slid on.

He waited up late in bed, he had taken his knife from his potions kit and cleaned it scrupulously. He had also brought his watch but not completely trusting it had gotten Hermione to teach him a time spell. "Tempus" he muttered and saw he only had a few minutes until it was time he pulled out the vial of Fleurs blood and opened it. It smelled just like his blood, slightly metallic and a little weird.

Watching the time tick down on his wand at 11:59 he made a small cut on his palm, slightly deeper than he intended out of nerves. He waited with his breath held and the vial held over it to watch the time hit midnight. The second he saw 12:00 floating out of the tip of his wand he poured the blood into his cut, it may have been his imagination but to him, it seemed to tingle. He immediately started thinking about Fleur, her sapphire blue eyes, her dazzling smile and platinum blonde hair. The way it felt to be hugged by her and the way he felt about her.

Suddenly Harry saw a silver light fill his enclosed bed and the cut on his hand sealed over. He looked around in awe and felt a sense of contentment and that same warm feeling he got whenever he thought of Fleur. He slumped back onto his bed and was asleep before the light faded. That night he dreamt of silver-haired girls.

'OvO'

Fleur was sitting at the foot of her own bed watching her wan tick down the time to 1:00, she had made sure she adjusted properly for the time zones. The only way she would know if it worked was when she tried it. 12:59 floated over her wand, she took a deep breath and took a small letter opener she had prepared and made a small cut on her palm. As they said in England the proof would be in the pudding. 1:00 showed on her wand, she took the bottle and pierced the seal with her thumbnail and poured the blood into the small wound.

Thoughts of Harry filled her mind, the smell of broom polish and something she could not ever put her finger on. The feel of giving him a hug and the light in his eyes when they had shared his ice cream. And then she thought of how much she loved him for being her friend when no one else would. A silver light filled her room and a grin broke out on her face, it was working.

She felt an odd lightness in her body, this was not like what she had read it was supposed to feel emotionally charged not physically. She flexed her fingers and looked down at her hands and legs. They were growing at an alarming rate, a sense of peace and love washed over her and suddenly she knew what was happening. She had reached her majority just as she was protecting Harry. Her magic had decided she was ready to be a woman, she jumped up and started removing clothes as quickly as she could. Just as she was down to her knickers she fell back to her bed and opened her mouth for a scream that never came.

It felt like an eternity, she eventually came back to herself enough to reach for her wand and look at the time 1:37. She had become a woman in just over a half hour, the idea was slightly giddying. She reached for her necklace and removed it sliding the ring down the chain, she let it drop in her hand, a woman's hand. She slowly slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and smiled as she felt it slide into place and resize for her.

She would have time to get used to having breasts and all that came with it in the morning, but for now, she just wanted to lay back and be grateful. She had taken the first step into her adult life in every way she could imagine. The other steps would come and she had to get ready, but that was a problem for another day. Her last thought as she drifted off was that she really had to get a photo taken to show Harry her new self, she couldn't wait.

'OvO'

Fleur received a letter a few days later from Harry telling her what happened on Christmas night. She already knew it had worked but found it interesting to see Harry's side of things, it took her a few weeks to get a camera and new clothes that she felt comfortable with Harry seeing her in. Her Maman had prepared well and she at least had some school uniforms that were a guesstimated size of how big she would be once she matured. Her Maman should be checked for seer blood because Fleur thought they were almost spot on, the bras not so much but a quick owl home had gotten quite a few sent her way.

Her main problem cropped up the first day she left her room as her new self. Her Maman had been wrong, the girls were not jealous they were feral. The boys were not stupid they were aggressive to a startling degree. True some of them simply stood and stared at her drooling slightly but those did not bother Fleur much, the first boy that groped for her had made her run for her room. To make it worse the boy's girlfriend had accused her of trying to steal him, Fleur could still hear her words ringing in her ears. It was her new nightmare, different but just as bad as the last.

She felt ashamed but she no longer wanted so badly to share with Harry, eventually, he would see her but a small part of her screamed that maybe he would be stupid, maybe he would be aggressive. Just enough to still her hand every time she reached for the camera, it haunted her in the back of her mind. She pushed it to the back of her mind and started composing the letter to let Harry know it had worked.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _The first part of my plan worked, I will tell you if stage two is a success. School has been awful, I matured the day after Christmas. My Maman was correct, when I was small I was beneath notice. Now that I am not I am a target. I have not figured out how to control my allure yet so the boys are not only dumb but they try to grab at me. The girls are meaner than you would think possible. I will push through it if you can survive attempts on your life every few weeks I can defend myself from my schoolmates._

 _I will just have to push myself to learn more defense and dueling. If we are going to work together when we are out of school I should probably be prepared to help you survive your monthly brushes with death anyway._

 _With any luck I will see you this summer, if that does not happen I have heard rumors of the Triwizard tournament being held again. It is an old competition that has not happened in a long time, three schools gather and have champions compete. Who knows, maybe our schools will be part of it and you can come see Beauxbatons._

 _Love,_

 _Fleur_

Fleur tapped the letter with her new perfectly manicured fingernails, she had her Veela magic to thank for that she supposed. She placed the letter inside a drop box she had requested was added to her room. If it worked it should send the letter to the school's house elves so they could give it to one of the owls. It was a measure of privacy afforded to her due to her recent treatment, Madame Maxime Had been doing her best to convince her to stay on.

'OvO'

Harry had written Fleur many letters to comfort her over her treatment by her schoolmates now that she had matured. He felt awful for her, it sounded a lot like what he went through when the whole school had turned on him. He had slowly cheered her up, at least he hoped it was partially because of him. She had mentioned that she had excelled at learning the defensive arts and had gotten much better at holding people at arm's length. Harry wished he was going to write another letter of comfort and friendship.

But he was going to have to explain the mess his life had become and why he had come so close to death again. He was no longer worried about Fleur being mad at him about it, he thought she had come to terms with the fact that he never sought it out. He just seemed to be cursed with the ability to draw in near-death situations like some sort of messed up magnet. Writing to Fleur always put his life in perspective for him, telling her about it seemed to take it off his shoulders.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _Last night I almost died. I know, I should just assume you know at this point. But it was all very confusing, I hardly know where to start._

 _I told you about the Hippogriff that we were trying to clear of wrongdoing right? Well, they were going to execute him because that ponce and his father when my friend Ron saw his pet rat who had run away a few weeks ago. He ran after it, and we ran after him when a large black dog bit his leg and dragged him down a secret tunnel we had never seen before._

 _It turns out Sirius Black is my godfather, and innocent. It was their other friend Peter who actually betrayed my parents. The dog and rat I mentioned? That is them… animagi. They were all friends with my dad in school and learned how to turn into animals, how cool is that?_

 _We caught Peter and Sirius wanted to kill him, I convinced him to turn him in so he could be free. If he was my godfather he could take custody of me and I would not have to go home to my relatives._

 _Well… it sounded good, then everything went tits up. The Defense teacher turned out to be a friend of theirs as well, and apparently a werewolf. Then that awful potions teacher I've told you about got in on the act. Apparently, he hates all of them, he hates everyone not in Slytherin so not a huge shocker there. So we get nearly back to the school with the plan to sort it out there when we see its a full moon._

 _Here is first almost died part, the werewolf got close to ripping me in half when my godfather tackled him. We lost Peter in the scrum and they all ran off. The Minister of magic was summoned and they caught Sirius Black when me and him were both surrounded by dozens of dementors. I tried to protect us but there were too many, I thought I was going to die. That's two in one night…_

 _I thought I saw my father save us across the lake. A giant stag Patronus rode last night and saved my life. It was powered by the thought of you, you saved my life again without ever having been here. I know that makes no sense, I will get there._

 _We were taken to the hospital wing to recover and the Minister came to give the Dementors kiss to Sirius. Do you know what a time turner is? Apparently, magicals have had the ability to time travel for a long time. Actual time travel… My friend Hermione had been time traveling to do every single elective the school offers, how insane is that?_

 _So me and Hermione used the time turner to go back in time to save the hippogriff, then we had to watch everything happen again. But when I waited to watch my father save me and Sirius from the Dementors he never came, everyone had always said I looked just like him. At that moment I knew I could cast a Patronus. I thought of you and never seeing you again and it worked. It was amazing Fleur, I will have to show you._

 _We then flew the hippogriff up to the room they were holding Sirius and helped him escape then got back to the hospital room. The minister was not at all happy, he even tried blaming it on us… to be fair he was right._

 _You should probably burn this when you are done. I just admitted to breaking like ALL the laws._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Harry had been really broken up about losing the chance to live with his godfather but writing to Fleur made him feel much lighter. She had a plan, it would all be okay as long as she was still his friend. He was tempted to whistle on the way to the owlery.

'OvO'

Fleur read over the letter sitting on her bed at home slowly shaking her head. The things that Harry got into beggared belief. She was not even sure what to feel after reading it and had to read it many times before it all sunk in. It left her with a vague smile on her lips, she had done a little research about how to protect yourself from Dementors to help Harry but never got around to telling him. You needed a happy thought to cast one, the recommended was what made you the happiest, what you loved.

She had been almost heartbroken her original plan would not work. But part of her was glad that they had tried it anyway, she felt that it brought them closer. And even if nothing ever came of it they could chuckle about it later in life. Harry could spend one more summer with his relatives, then Fleur would be of age and she swore to herself that if she had to kidnap him herself he would never spend another day at privet drive.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I am sorry to hear about everything that went wrong and everything that could have been. My original plan will not work, I am coming up with something else. I promise next summer I will be of age and I will do whatever it takes to keep you away from the cochon you live with._

 _My OWL's went well, I hope to get my scores in a few weeks. When I get them I will share with you, I need to get high marks to move on with Enchanting. I managed to make you a pair of boots that should have the cushioning charm on them for years. I will give them to you as soon as I can, I can not shrink them to send them by owl. Apparently, I did not think far enough ahead on that one._

 _I hope you have a good summer, I found out from my pere that the Triwizard competition is happening next year at Hogwarts. I will get to spend almost a whole year with you! I am very excited, I hope your friends will like me. I will be spending my time making sure I am selected to go, our Headmistress is only taking the top twelve of the school._

 _Love,_

 _Fleur_

She sent the letter off with her family owl and flopped back onto her bed. She grabbed her school bag and pulled out her year six books, she needed to be ready. If she was going to go to Hogwarts she needed to be the best of her entire school. She made a mental note to ask her Maman to order the year seven books for her.

'OvO'

Harry had managed to snag Fleurs letter through the bars on his window. The majestic looking owl had tried to land to wait for a reply then flew off after being unable to figure it out. Harry shook his head and read through the letter with a huge grin on his face. He was going to get to spend a whole year with Fleur, it was a dream come true. Being locked in his tiny room being slowly starved no longer bothered him even a little.

The twins rescuing him by flying car was a bit of a shock, but Harry was more concerned about whether to count it as a threat to his life. He desperately wanted to write to Fleur either way so he decided to leave it up to her.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _I am sorry I didn't write earlier, I was kept prisoner in my room. I had nothing to write with and I could barely snag letters through the bars on my window. Ron's twin brothers who are a bit of a menace managed to rescue me with a flying car. I was not sure whether to count this as a brush with death. But better safe than sorry non?_

 _I am really excited about you coming to Hogwarts, I know you will be chosen. How did your OWLs turn out? All O's?_

 _I am safe at a friends house and will be going to the Quidditch World Cup with his family. Do you know when your school will show up to Hogwarts?_

 _I hope your summer has been better than mine!_

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Harry sealed the letter with a little wax from his kit, the Weasley family was nice but could be really nosey. He put it in his pocket and snuck downstairs, just as had tied it to Hedwig's leg a voice startled him from behind "Who are you writing to dear?" Mrs. Weasley inquired. Harry nudged Hedwig making her hoot and take wing "No one, just a penpal." Mrs. Weasley sniffed and bustled over to the range and started banging pans and pots around for breakfast "That's nice dear, will you go wake up the boys?"

'OvO'

Fleur and received Harry's first letter more than a week ago but wanted to be able to tell him when her school would arrive before she responded. She had just found out from her father and ran up to her room to write him back when she was surprised to see Hedwig waiting for her.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _Turns out I can make any situation life-threatening, who knew? The World Cup was brilliant, fantastic, Magnifique._

 _The same night Death Eaters attacked the campgrounds, it was utter and complete chaos. They had some muggles floating through the air and were randomly attacking people. Me and my friends ran for it into a small forest nearby where I lost my wand in a mad scramble. A house elf was accused of using it to cast the dark mark. Which is what Voldemort used to cast when he killed someone. It is a large green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, It is actually kind of dorky._

 _As far as I know, everyone lived, it was scary. But everyone is okay here._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

She blew air out between her lips in frustration. She really should be used to this by now, Harry would probably find a way to make going to the market a life or death situation. She grabbed a piece of parchment and her quill.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _It appears fate loves messing you about. If I am selected for my school I will be there the day before Halloween in time for dinner._

 _Save me a seat!_

 _Love,_

 _Fleur_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, My dreams have yet to come true.**

 **A/N: I intended to split chapters up at important points but the length is getting away from me. I am by far the most nervous about stepping away from the letters and the brief windows in time. I hope it meets expectations. Thank you all for your support.**

Year Four

This year had been a blur for Harry, he was going back over Fleur's French to English workbooks. With any luck he would be able to converse with her fluently, at least that was the goal. Today had been weird, the rather intense DADA teacher had used unforgivables on his entire class. He had felt the urge to write to Fleur the second he saw the green flash. He knew he would likely see her in about a month but he needed to send her the birthday present he got her anyway which was the only excuse he really needed.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _Happy early birthday! Sorry I could not wait to send you your present._

 _Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is really intense. He is an ex-Auror with a prosthetic eye that I suspect can see through anything. At least it feels like he is looking right through you with it._

 _He demonstrated the three unforgivable curses to our class today. He even used the Imperius on everybody. I was the only one able to throw it off. He used it on me until I could simply ignore it, it started as a small voice in the back of my head telling me to do silly things. But a larger voice inside me just did not want to listen to it. It was a bit odd, like an internal battle._

 _Oh! At the Quidditch World Cup, the Bulgarian team had Veela cheerleaders. All the guys started acting funny, but I did not feel anything. I think I may not be affected by Veela allure Fleur, wouldn't that be really awesome? I was really not looking forward to drooling all over you._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Harry felt lighter again, and warm, even without telling her about the green flash. He tapped the letter with his wand sealing it, he was getting pretty good at spells that helped with correspondence. He pulled out a Sapphire and white gold necklace he had bought at the Quidditch World Cup and attached it to the letter. Then he opened his window and called for Hedwig.

'OvO'

Fleur was mid happy dance as dance as Hedwig flew into the room. She grabbed her gently by the tips of the wings and spun her in a small circle then released her into the air. Hedwig gave her a long suffering look and beat at the air to correct her flight. She hooted somewhat angrily and landed on the writing desk sticking out her foot with a pointed glare. Fleur let out a delighted laugh and untied the letter her eyes already on the necklace wrapped around it, Harry really did spoil her. She got it free and held it against her neck, the thin white gold chain glowed on her skin and the pinky nail sized sapphire would set off her eyes. She would wear it till she saw Harry, she carefully clipped it on and felt the gem rest between her clavicle.

She sat at her desk and opened the letter scanning it. Harry had not almost died, that was fantastic news alone. But being immune to the imperious and maybe resistant or immune to her allure? Fleur thought she could not get any more happy after finding out she had been picked to represent her school at Hogwarts.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _That is fantastic news! I am coming to Hogwarts, I was chosen to represent Beauxbatons. The necklace you got me is perfect. I can not wait to see you, even if you drool on me we will still be friends. If it was you I would not mind so much, at least you know who I am unlike the others. Do not worry about it._

 _Your teacher should not be using such spells on school students, I am glad you got something out of it. How did you handle seeing the killing curse? I know it would make my skin crawl. I am spending all of my time preparing for the trip. I did well on my OWL's almost straight O's as you predicted. I got an E at transfiguration, I have always found it a little tricky and an A on the History exam. What can I say, I told you we cover magical creatures in that class and they seem to really hate me._

 _Remember to save me a seat._

 _Love,_

 _Fleur_

Fleur tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and ruffled her feathers gently. "Get zis to 'arry and I will bring many owl treats with me." she said with a wink. Hedwig hooted and hopped out the window flying off towards England, the trip was just about the only one she ever made. Not that she minded, after all, she had chosen her master's friend.

'OvO'

Harry waited on the lawn with the rest of the Hogwarts students for the other two schools to arrive. Harry could barely suppress his excitement, a bright smile appearing on his face whenever he stopped actively trying to keep it straight. Hermione kept looking at him oddly "What has you so excited Harry?" she asked suspiciously. "Oh nothing Hermione, aren't you excited to see how they arrive?" She shrugged as Ron jumped from one foot to the other trying to see over the crowd. Harry recognized Lee Jordan's voice call out "Look at the lake!" the school almost as a whole turned slightly as a whirlpool formed and a mast rose out of the middle of the lake. A ship bobbed to the surface with a loud slurping sound, it magically propelled to the shore and let down a plank. Harry could see light coming from various portholes his attention was pulled from them as Ron yelled "Its Viktor Krum!" Harry looked back to the plank and saw a group of students walking down it, they looked extremely bulky. He was pretty sure Ron was right about the first being Krum, it looked like him and the odd bow-legged walk he used was hard to miss. Hermione huffed next to him "Boys! He is just a Quidditch player." Ron looked horrified at Harry "Just a Quidditch player?" Harry shook his head with a small smile.

Shortly the Durmstrang delegation had come to shore. Harry started looking around for how Beauxbatons was going to arrive, he spotted a small dot growing larger over the Forbidden Forest and pointed it out "There!" Almost as one, the school turned to follow where he pointed, Cedric Diggory chuckled from behind Harry "Seekers eyes aye Harry?" Harry absently nodded as they watched the small dot in the sky grow. "It's a carriage with flying horses!" someone he did not recognize shouted.

And sure enough, it was, a gigantic powder blue carriage with huge winged horses pulling it. It landed without a sound right next to Hagrid's hut, It was almost graceful. A door on the side of the carriage swung out, it was far larger than Harry had expected. A large olive skinned woman stepped out straightened her elegant dress looked at the crowd with kind black eyes and pulled out her wand flicking it absently at the carriage, a set of stairs appeared. She turned to Dumbledore "Albus eet iz alwayz a pleasure." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly and kissed her offered hand "Olympe dear, the pleasure is once more mine, I assure you." Harry stopped paying attention to them as Hagrid stepped over to assist with the horses. Harry watched ten female forms and two male step out of the carriage. All of the girls had their heads wrapped in scarves it was impossible to tell which one was Fleur. They wore school robes of the same color as the carriage and wore cute beret on their head as if to make sure the world knew they were from France.

Hogwarts teachers started directing the student body inside for the feast. Harry sat down near the end of the Gryffindor table like he normally did. Ron sat on the left side of him and Hermione went to set down on his right when he blocked her with his arm, She gave him a funny look. "Do you mind leaving one spot Hermione?" she looked at him then left space "Sure Harry, why… wait, is your penpal from one of the other schools?" Harry's mouth dropped open which made Hermione smirk at him. "Is it a girl Harry?" she teased him, the flush on his face must of answered her question.

Interrupting Hermione's interrogation the Durmstrang students walked in and took off their fur lined cloaks that had accounted for the majority of their bulk. Ron was almost jumping up and down and pointing at the table when they instead went and sat at the end of the Slytherin table he sat down and sulked. Even from across the room Harry could see Draco's gloating smile. Next walked in the Beauxbatons students, they looked cold and kept their scarves tightly wrapped around their faces. Hermione grumbled next to him "It's not that cold. So a french girl Harry?" he groaned, he had been hoping the Hermione had gotten distracted from her teasing. The Beauxbatons students started to take seats at the Ravenclaw table, Harry's face fell slightly until he noticed the last girl still standing and looking up and down their table. Harry half-heartedly raised a hand to get her attention, she immediately walked towards him and plopped down next to him. "'Arry!" came a muffled but musical voice, he suddenly found himself wrapped in a hug.

Dumbledore's voice interrupted them from the front of the hall, He felt a last squeeze and was released from the hug "Welcome all to Hogwarts, We hope you find your stay here to be comfortable and welcoming. I dearly hope you take this opportunity to make new friends, after all the whole point of this is to increase international relations." he said his eyes locked on Harry, they were twinkling like mad. Harry blushed and missed some of what Dumbledore was saying "... the competition will start immediately after dinner when the goblet of fire lights and will be accepting names until just before our meal tomorrow night. When at the conclusion of the feast the champions for the schools will be chosen. I am sure everyone had had a long day, so enjoy the food and once more, Welcome to Hogwarts."

Harry turned to Fleur and was momentarily stunned, sometime during the speech she had removed her scarf. She was truly stunning, bloody breathtaking was closer to the mark. Her sapphire blue eyes were sparkling with joy and her pink colored lips were perfectly formed and full, Harry blushed bright red at the thought "Fleur, it is so good to see you." Hermione leaned around Fleur and in a small voice asked "Harry? Are you going to introduce us?" Harry at this point noticed half the boys in the hall and all the boys at the table were looking at Fleur with glazed over eyes, to some of their credits they were slowly shaking their heads and serving themselves. Ron, on the other hand, was actively drooling onto his plate his eyes locked onto Fleur's chest. Harry elbowed him in the side "Of course, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, meet Fleur Delacour."

Fleur smiled brightly at Hermione and shook her hand "Ze pleasure is mine 'ermione, 'arry 'as told me so much about you." Hermione shook her hand looking slightly stunned and said faintly "All good things I hope." Fleurs musical laughter filled the area "Only ze best things." Fleur started serving herself from a dish Harry did not recognize, seeing Harry's curiosity Fleur made a motion as to offer some "It is Bouillabaisse 'arry, would you like to try some?" Harry nodded absently and watched as Fleur served him, the boys around him looked like they might try to string him up. "Fleur, you look amazing. You never sent me a new picture." Fleur blushed lightly "I admit I wanted to surprise you a leetle 'arry, you 'ave grown as well." Harry looked at himself compared to Fleur, He had been worried she would be bigger than him. She was now a tall, statuesque woman but he was only slightly smaller than her.

They had to stop talking to eat, Harry had to elbow Ron three more times just so he would eat and not stare at Fleur. Dumbledore stood up at the head table and waved his hand making the food disappear "Now that we have all filled our stomachs it is time for a good night's rest. To all who entered the best of luck. One last reminder, an age line has been drawn, If you are not seventeen attempting to pass it will be most unpleasant. With that, I wish you all a good night." Harry stood and offered Fleur his hand to help her stand, she took it with a dazzling smile aimed at him and pulled him into another hug. After a brief pause, Harry hugged her back "It is so good to see you Fleur, I promise tomorrow I will be a better conversationalist." She chuckled against him making all sorts of interesting things happen, Harry thought hard about Quidditch. "Oh 'arry, you are not affected by my allure. I simply caught you off guard zat is good news, non?"

Harry released her from the hug and looked into her eyes, without even realizing what he was doing he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. They both flushed crimson and she touched her cheek with her hand looking slightly stunned "Good night, Fleur." She came back to herself and gave Harry a small smile "Bon Nuit, 'arry."

'OvO'

On the way to the common room, Ron turned on Harry with a peeved air "Why did you not tell us you were friends with a gorgeous Veela bird Harry? Do you not trust us?" Harry looked slightly offended and had to stop himself from hitting Ron, he was not sure what about it made him so mad but something did "She is not just a Veela Ron, She was my first friend. And it just never came up." Ron looked like he was trying to work out what was wrong with that when Hermione spoke up "I have asked once or twice Harry." Harry looked at her and sighed " I am sorry Hermione, it just felt… private?"

She seemed to nod in understanding but Ron did not seem to want to let it go "What else haven't you told us?" he said in a slightly disgusted tone and marched up to the dorms. Harry looked at Hermione slightly stunned and she just gave him a small shrug and headed towards her room. Harry waited a few moments so Ron would be in the bathroom and snuck into his bed casting sticking charms on the curtains like he always did. He pulled out his writing kit and sucked on his quill for a second.

 _Dear Fleur,_

 _Today was magnifique. Seeing you after so long was awesome. I am sorry I did not tell my friends about you, I just.. I am not sure, it just seemed too important to share I guess._

 _What did you think of Hogwarts? How was the flight? Are you going to enter the tournament tomorrow?_

 _I am really glad I am not affected by your allure, I am really sorry about my friend Ron. He seems to take being a drooling boy to a whole new level. Have you noticed if people get used to it? If not maybe we can just spend time you and me._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Harry poked his head outside his bed and looked around, seeing everyone was in bed or not around he got up and went to the window. He leaned out and called for Hedwig, when she came he tied it to her leg "Fleur is here at Hogwarts girl, can you find her?" she gave him a scathing look and hopped out the window and he watched her fly down to the carriage. He was careful to remember to watch which window she went too. He saw a flash of platinum blonde hair as Hedwig was let in.

'OvO'

Fleur was putting her stuff away in her private room in the carriage, seemed no one else wanted to be civil enough to share with her so even in the limited space she got her own. It suited her just fine, she had a private room at school as well. She heard a scratch at her window and was surprised to see Hedwig there, she smiled and let her in "'Arry send you girl?" She pulled out a large bag of owl treats she had bought just for Hedwig and put it on her dresser in front of her then untied the letter. She read it over and shook her head "Silly boy…" she said under her breath. She flipped it over and found a quill.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Hogwarts is austere but beautiful. The flight here was mostly boring, imagine being locked in your room for most of a day with only clouds outside. Watching them roll by got old rather quickly._

 _I have no choice but to enter, every student that came agreed to enter before we left. Do not worry about me, I have worked really hard to make sure I am ready._

 _I would love to spend more time with you, alone or not._

 _Love,_

 _Fleur_

Fleur closed the bag full of treats that Hedwig was still eating and smiled at her evil glare. "More with ze next letter." She tied it on and let her out watching her fly towards the castle. Far on the back right tower of the castle, she saw a small figure outlined against light received her letter.

'OvO'

Harry woke up early and got ready quickly, he almost ran down to the great hall. He sat down at his usual spot and pulled out a book to wait for breakfast to be served. Before breakfast was served he felt a presence behind him and the smell of fresh rainfall and spring flowers washed over him. Fleur tapped him on the shoulder then sat down on the opposite side of the tap with a pleasant giggle. "Good morning 'arry, there are no classes today. Would you like to take a walk around the lake?" she spoke in French in her fluid throaty voice. It took Harry a moment to translate in his head then he gave her a bright smile "I would love to." he replied in the same language hoping he had worked hard enough at it. The pride in her eyes was enough to lay that worry to rest "Your accent needs work, but it is kind of cute." He blushed and noticed the table fill with food as Dumbledore walked into the room. He snatched up a napkin and filled it with toast with various toppings. The sparkle in the eyes of Dumbledore could have filled the sky, he winked at Harry as he passed momentarily stunning him.

Fleur caught on to what he was doing and grabbed a pitcher of pumpkin juice and offered her arm to him. "Shall we?" He grinned at her and took her arm and lead her out to the grounds, they ended up taking the long path around the Black Lake. They spent the morning walking and laughing like the old friends they were. Harry took great delight in every time he made her musical laugh float across the lake. They were watched by members of Hogwarts and Beauxbatons alike who were wondering what had happened to their respective classmate. It was like someone had turned on a light for them.

Eventually, Lunch came around and they headed into the castle, Fleur pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek making them both flush "Wish me luck 'arry?" he rubbed her arm gently and mumbled back "Always Fleur." Which for some reason made her blush deepen. She squared her shoulders and headed up to the head table and dropped the slip of paper into the goblet, a tongue of blue flame shot out in acceptance. She walked back and they sat together, this time with Fleur on Hermione's right side and Harry on Fleurs right. "So you're of age Fleur?" Hermione asked, Fleur simply nodded making Hermione blush lightly. "Of course you are, your here… Do you think you will be chosen?" Hermione's question made Fleur tilt her head in thought for a second "It is likely 'ermione, if ze goblet chooses by ze most able, I 'ave worked very 'ard."

Ron sat down across the table from them, he seemed to be trying very hard not to look at Fleur "Are you going to try entering Harry? Fred and George already failed, I saw them in the hospital wing with long white beards. Wish I had a camera." Harry thought about it for a second then replied "No, for once a calm year would be nice. Fleur is here and does not like it when I almost die." He smiled fondly at Fleur who grinned back at him. The rest of the meal was spent in friendly conversation, Ron managed to only space out a few times by largely ignoring Fleur.

Fleur stood at the end and gave Harry another hug, he was beginning to really like hugs. And told him she would see him at dinner, they had some required thing to do in their carriage.

Just before she left Draco Malfoy walked up and stuck his hand out at Fleur "Such a beautiful woman should not waste her time with a half-blood like Potter, My name is Draco Malfoy. Yes, those Malfoys." He said with smarmiest smile to date, Harry was almost impressed it. Fleur turned to Harry "'o is zis leetle boy 'arry?" Harry smirked at Malfoy and drew himself up to make introductions "Fleur Delacour, may I introduce you to Draco Malfoy. Heir to the Malfoy fortune and a total ponce." Fleur giggled as Draco's face went beet red with rage then he smirked with vindictive glee as Harry heard from behind him. "That will be twenty points from Gryffindor Potter for insulting another student," Snape said silkily. Harry kept his calm and gave a small nod to snape then gathered his things and headed for the door, Fleur caught up quickly and snagged his hand giving it a small squeeze.

'OvO'

Harry Filed into the Great Hall like everyone else for the Halloween feast. He was a little worried Fleur would not sit with him, he knew that it was likely she would be forced to sit with the rest of her school. During feasts, they were not allowed to sit at other houses tables and the rule would probably apply. As he sat there he watched the Beauxbatons delegation filter in and Fleur caught his eye and shook her head a little, his heart dropped but he gave her a small smile and a thumbs up. The meal went by in a blur for Harry, he was sure he ate but was not sure what. He offhandedly listened to Hermione and Ron argue about whether entering into the tournament was a good idea or not. Dumbledore stood and the room quieted down, Hermione had not noticed and said a little too loud "People die in the tournament Ron!" The entire Great Hall looked at Hermione and she blushed scarlet and looked like she was trying to disappear into her seat.

Dumbledore simply smiled at the room "Indeed they do Miss Granger, It is now time for the Goblet to choose the champions for each school. Remember that these individuals are bound to compete for the honor of their schools and deserve our utmost support." The fire coming out of the Goblet changed from a blue to a bright roaring red, they abated for a moment and a slip of paper shot into the air. Dumbledore caught it mid-air and read out "The champion for Durmstrang is Viktor Krum!" He smiled at Krum and motioned towards a door at the back of the hall. Krum walked to the back and entered the room. Ron leaned over to Harry "Of course it was Krum, who else could it be?" Harry simply gave a small shake of his head at his friend's antics.

The fire from the Goblet died down again and another slip of paper shot out, once again catching it with a deft hand Dumbledore read "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" polite clapping filled the hall and Harry caught her eyes with his, both were bright and excited. He gave her a thumbs up just before she went into the room in the back. Silence filled the room.

The Goblet once more died down and a slip of paper was expelled. Dumbledore grabbed it and read it and smiled at the crowd. "It gives me great pleasure to announce that Cedric Diggory is the champion for Hogwarts. Someone would be forgiven for assuming the Hufflepuff table had exploded. It was truly deafening the noise the standing ovation for Cedric was producing. Dumbledore smiled indulgently at the table and held out a hand waving for them to quiet down. "Now that the…" The room went silent as the Goblets fire once more went down then shout out one last slip of paper. Almost absently Dumbledore picked it up off the table, having been too stunned to catch it like he did the others. "Harry Potter" Dumbledore called out with a slightly surprised tone in his voice. Harry looked around not understanding what was going on, he caught Hermione's eyes which were wide. "It is okay Harry, go… he called you" she said. Harry shook his head in silent denial then back up to the Headmaster "Harry, we need you in the back room." Harry numbly walked towards the back hall as angry murmurs grew.

'OvO'

Harry opened the door and stepped inside, he looked at Fleur standing near the fire. She had been talking to Viktor and Cedric who both looked a little dazed by her but were managing to at least converse. "'Arry? Is everyzing okay?" Fleur asked looking concerned. Harry started to walk over to her when Ludo Bagman swept into the room "Ladies and gentleman! I present to you the fourth Triwizard champion. Amazing!" Ludo looked like an overgrown baby who had been handed a cookie. Fleur looked at the three Heads of the schools and the two ministry employees "Zat cannot be, ze competition is for of age students is it not?" Bagman looked at Mr. Crouch "Barty you know the law and the competition better than anyone else, is the contract binding if Harry is not of age?"

The whole room faced Crouch who looked like he had sucked on a lemon, after a moment he declared "His name came out of the Goblet, he must compete or he loses his magic. Just like the others." The room exploded as the adults began shouting at each other, Fleur grabbed Harry by the hand and pulled him into his corner. She had a look in her eye Harry had never seen before, she was quickly removing her scarf "'Ary, do you trust me?" Harry looked her in the eyes and without a moment's hesitation answered her "Yes, Fleur." She smiled at him as she took his hand and laced their fingers together and tied the scarf around them securely "Fleur?" Harry asked. She simply shook her head and looked into his eyes once she was done tying the knot "Do you love me?" She asked him, her eyes searching his sapphire to emerald. He took a deep breath and said with a blush "I do." She gave him a dazzling smile and whispered just loud enough for him to hear "I do, kiss me 'arry."

Harry leaned in his eyes locked on hers and shared their first kiss. Their lips touched, both were surprised at how soft and warm it was. Slowly it became more passionate, after barely a few moments they heard the tinkling of small bells and broke off the kiss and looked at each other. They were wreathed in a golden light and the sound of bells was coming from them, the room had gone silent as everyone stared at them. Dumbledore was the first to speak "Miss Delacour, please step away from Mr. Potter until we decide what is to be done about him entering himself in the tournament." Just before Harry was about to forcefully express that he did not, in fact, enter himself in anything Fleur squeezed his hand "Non, Headmaster Dumbledore. And you will address me correctly, after all. You attended my wedding."

The room exploded as everyone tried to speak at once, Fleur heard Harry squeak "Wedding?" she gave his hand another squeeze. She just needed his trust until they could talk alone. Madame Maxime almost shouted "Wedding? What iz zis farce, you cannot be married. You must 'ave been engaged for at least six months before." Snape sneered at Harry "Potter release the girl, no one is fooled by your antics." Fleur simply shook her head "I assure you Madame, it is very legal. We were engaged as of last winter solstice. Magic accepted our vows with all of you as witnesses." Dumbledore stepped forward always the voice of reason "Miss Delacour, Harry is underage and would need my approval as his magical guardian to Marry." Fleur simply smiled at him "Oh but I zink you will find Headmaster zat ze representatives of the ministry of magic declared 'e was of age when zey said he must compete. And I would appreciate it if you would address me properly, Fleur Potter is not to hard I zink."

A rough unpleasant laughter filled the room, everyone turned to see Alastor Moody cackling and slapping his knee "Oh she got you guys good, Pulled Potter right out from under you. She is right you know, would not have the light show if it was not legal. I will offer my congratulations first Mr. and Mrs. Potter." he said as he wiped tears from his one normal eye. Dumbledore looked shaken "Harry, did you enter yourself or ask an older student to enter for you?" Harry shook his head after looking up from his hand that was still bound to Fleur's "No sir, I wanted a quiet year for once." Madame Maxime snorted "But of courz 'e iz lying." Fleur shook her head at her Headmistress "Non. 'arry would not lie, call for veritaserum if you must." Karkaroff who had watched the whole thing with some amusement up to this point spoke up "It matters not, the boy is magically bound to compete. Hogwarts has two champions, we must relight the Goblet and feed it names until all schools are equal."

Dumbledore shook his head "I am afraid that is impossible, it has gone out and will not relight for at least a year. Forcing it to do so will void the contracts it holds and remove the magic of the current participants." That seemed to stun everyone in the room momentarily. Karkaroff recovered first "Come Viktor, we do not have to stand around with cheaters and liars." With an apologetic look at Harry Viktor left with his Headmaster. Madame Maxime watched him go then walked over the Fleur and tapped their hands with her wand, the knot of her scarf untied leaving it on the floor between Harry and Fleur "We will talk about this Miss Delacour." she said in French in a low tone. Fleur looked at her defiantly "Mrs. Potter, Madame Maxime. I would be happy to discuss it." Fleur hugged Harry and whispered in his ear "Wait until you see me in my window mon amour." With a peck on his cheek, she was gone.

Dumbledore gave Harry a measured glance then turned to Snape and Moody "Someone must have tampered with the Goblet, it would take a great deal of power and knowledge to cause this. We should start the investigation immediately." The adults left the room leaving Cedric and Harry alone, Cedric leaned over and handed Harry Fleur's scarf "I believe that belongs to Mrs. Potter. Bloody hell Harry, how do you manage to become the fourth Triwizard champion and married to the most beautiful girl in three schools in one night?" Harry looked at him his mouth moving but nothing coming out, Cedric burst out laughing "Judging by your face you expected neither?" Harry nodded "Merlin no, Fleur has been trying to figure out a way I do not have to live with my relatives for almost two years. And I never put my name in the Goblet." Cedric shook his head "I am not sure whether to be envious or feel bad for you Harry. I should get back to my common room, they are probably waiting to start the party." Cedric clapped Harry on the shoulder and walked off, shortly after Harry walked up to his common room in somewhat of a daze.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I Do not own Harry Potter, or Pokemon for that matter.**

 **A/N: I officially have not a single word written past this point. This has its positives and its negatives, I can now start taking on criticism and working to better myself as a writer. But it will be slower releases from here on out.**

 **So this chapter marks the official stepping away from the writing style I got comfortable with. The letters were a very useful crutch and I plan on still using them in the future, but a story is not a story without interactions. I may be pushing the edges of the teen rating as it is and I am considering upping it to Mature. Some of you may recognize an homage to another Fleur/Harry Fic. I do not utilize others ideas lightly, it just truly tickled me and I could not get past not using it.**

 **I hope I continue to meet expectations. I also encourage all those who love to read to try to write, It has been extremely rewarding and any Fleur/Harry I can get I will gladly consume.**

Harry made it to the outside the common room without really remembering the walk. "So school champion?" the fat lady asked. "Balderdash," Harry replied ignoring her as the portrait swung open. He was met with a cheering crowd "Brilliant!" The twins echoed each other "How did you do it, Harry?" The twins continued their inquisition. Harry looked at them with a blank expression as he was dragged into the cheering crowd having his back slapped "I didn't guys, I really didn't enter." The room got quiet as Ron snorted loudly "Yeah right, pull the other one, Harry. You could have at least told your friends how you did it so we could have had a chance. Instead of being a selfish arse." Harry looked at Ron somewhat shocked and then pleadingly at Hermione who would not meet his eyes. He walked up to his dorm pushing through the crowd that was celebrating with or without him, he quickly closed the curtains on his bed and pulled out his invisibility cloak and his Firebolt. He cast sticking charms on his bed to keep it sealed and flew out the window, he stayed low enough to see Fleur's window.

He was married, and none of his friends believed that he had not joined the tournament. Worse they were jealous that he had gotten in. Oh, Merlin, Harry thought, Ron is going to be insufferable if he finds out I am married to Fleur. Why would Fleur marry him, no one should want to be anywhere near him. He was a death trap, and she told him she loved him. And he had a feeling it was not the friend kind of love they had professed in their letters. Flying in small circles was starting to calm his nerves, he always did feel best on a broom. Harry watched as Fleur opened her window and looked towards the castle roughly where Gryffindor tower was, she was wearing a nightshirt. Maybe she had intended him to send Hedwig so they could talk by writing back and forth, Harry knew deep down this would be easier in person.

He flew up to her window as she looked out wistfully, he pulled the hood of the invisibility cloak off his face and smiled at her "May I come in Fleur." Harry estimated her jump at about a foot high, he was impressed "Merlin 'arry, you scared ze daylight out of me." She looked around and picked up her wand casting something Harry did not recognize "You can come in now 'arry." She took a step back as he glided in and she shut the window behind him. Before he could take his invisibility cloak completely off or set down his Firebolt she was hugging him tightly "I am so sorry 'arry." He hugged her tightly and gently guided her to the bed and sat her down then sat next to her grabbing her hand as he did. "It is okay Fleur, I am not mad at all. I am surprised, shocked even. No one has ever loved me, was this your plan from last Christmas?" She looked at him with tears in her eyes "Non, 'arry. My plan last Christmas was to become betrothed by Veela rights and possibly have a say what happened to you. Neither of us was old enough for it to matter… and if we never wanted to Marry the betrothal would not have mattered."

It took Harry a moment to understand the complex french "So if it was never supposed to happen, what happened?" She took a deep breath and switched back to English for Harry to understand her fully "I saw a chance 'arry, for a small window your ministry 'ad accepted you were of age. Zey would not have let that stand for long. But we could legally marry for zat small time, and in the wizarding world, marriage is for life 'arry. Now no matter what zey cannot take you away." She looked into his eyes with a scared vulnerable look in her eyes "You can be your own man 'arry. They can not say you are no longer of age, because only of age wizards can marry and you are, non?"

Without a second thought Harry kissed her at first her lips were stiff, but slowly she started to kiss back. Her hands ran pleasantly through his hair pulling him against her mouth, after a minute she let him go and backed up breathing a little hard. She looked into his eyes and saw the bright emerald orbs glowing with love "Thank you Fleur, I am sorry you had to marry me to help me but I will do everything I can to make you happy." She smiled sadly at him and shook her head "You do not understand 'arry, I love you. I would marry you no matter what, I may have waited for my family to be there… but I would have anyway." She showed him her left hand and pointed at the ring he had given her, she pointed to a small coat of arms Harry had not noticed when he gave it to her "'Arry, zis is a wizarding engagement ring. It is meant to be." He looked slightly stunned "Oh, I did not know Fleur. It looks really nice on you, would you like a real wedding ring? My family vault had many others."

She smiled that dazzling smile at him and stroked his cheek lovingly with the hand that was not held in his "Non, 'arry I will wear zis one proudly for ze rest of my life." Harry could not help it, he kissed her again. It was magical their lips danced together after a period of time Harry felt her tongue brush his up lip and he opened his mouth slightly in surprise, her tongue pushed into his mouth and the taste of her flooded his sense. She tasted of honey, Harry did his best to mimic her actions moving his hands to her hips. After an eternity they broke apart both bright red and breathing hard.

"That was brilliant!" Harry said with a great deal of enthusiasm in his voice, Fleur flushed again "Oui." Harry looked into her eyes and then at his watch worriedly "I should probably get back." She grabbed his hand and pulled him back down before he could finish getting up "Non, 'arry. You will be seen, and it is our wedding night." She gave him a playful wink, he transcended any mortal shades of red almost passing out from blushing so. Fleur let out her musical laugh and pushed him playfully "Oh, 'arry you should have seen your face. We need not do anyzing, but will you hold me while we sleep?"

Harry took a deep breath and nodded, he could do that. She was his wife after all if you could not hold your wife and sleep then something was wrong with the world. "Of course Fleur… I do not have anything to wear." She folded back the blankets and looked him over "You wear boxers or briefs 'arry?" Harry thought if he blushed anymore he might just die "Boxers" he muttered. She smiled and slid into the bed and patted next to her "Zen eet is easy, wear your shirt and your boxers. I do not bite." He turned his back to her and took off his robe and trousers then slid into the bed laying next to her but not touching. She turned and threw her leg over his and laid her head on his chest "Comfy 'arry?" The mischievous tone in her voice was clear even to him, building up his courage he reached down and grabbed her by the hip and pulled her a little closer. Her squeak made him grin "I am now." she pinched him lightly on the arm then snuggled into his side "Bon Nuit 'Arry" "Bon Nuit Fleur."

'OvO'

Harry awoke some warm, his vision was completely occluded by a platinum blonde mass and he was holding something very warm and soft in his hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze and her a light throaty moan, his brain snapped into action. He was holding Fleur, he was holding Fleur's… oh no. He slowly released her and started to retreat "Grope and run 'arry?" Fleur said in a sleepy voice with a throaty chuckle after, he went still maybe she would think he was sleeping. She spun around in his arms with a joyful laugh and quickly kissed his stunned lips "'Arry I do not mind what you get up to while we sleep, it was most pleasant." Harry flushed and Fleur laughed again, her sparkling sapphire eyes and joyful smile quickly calmed Harry down.

"Sorry, might take a little getting used to. It was pleasant…" Fleur blushed lightly and smacked his chest gently with a hand "Oh eet was?" she shook her head and hopped out of bed "It is the weekend, 'arry no classes. Do you want to leave through ze front door or ze window?" Harry watched her gather clothes for the day as he thought "We would get in trouble if people saw me leave…" Fleur held up a shirt and looked at Harry over it "Maybe 'arry, but we are married. Zey will get used to it eventually, non?" Harry shrugged "Mind keeping it a secret until Tuesday? I should at least talk to your parents, Merlin your dads going to kill me. I did not even ask for your hand." Fleur fell to the bed laughing turning a pleasing shade of red, Harry watched her night shirt ride up her legs slowly. His teenage hormones not letting him look away so easily "Oh, 'arry. I married you, my pere will understand or I will make him do so. You leave zat to me. If you want to keep eet secret for a few days I do not mind." She pulled on a pair of jeans and turned her back to him pulling her night shirt over her head revealing a powder blue bra strap, she quickly pulled a blouse over her head and turned around posing for Harry "Beautiful, Would you go on a date with me to Hogsmeade?"

She gave him an odd look as she threw his robe at him "And who else would I go with 'usband?" Harry felt ten feet tall as he got dressed, she had called him her Husband. And why not, it was accurate. Maybe lady luck had decided Harry had enough for awhile and decided to be nice. Harry grabbed his broom stick and Fleur threw his invisibility cloak over his shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss "Are you sure you are okay with zis 'arry? I did kind of…" before she could finish Harry kissed her again. "Fleur, I love you. I am happy." She gave him a dazzling smile and hugged him tightly "Good, now go sneak into your bed." He chuckled and pushed the window open and pulled up the hood of his cloak and flew out picking up speed as he went, he had very little time before breakfast.

'OvO'

Harry carefully peeked in the window before climbing inside, luckily for him, it was a weekend. Most of the guys would not be up till near the end of breakfast unless they had managed to find a date for Hogsmeade, which was possible but doubtful. He changed out his clothes for a fresh pair, opened up the curtains on his bed and messed it up a bit. Nodding in satisfaction he went and used the bathroom before heading downstairs, a few people in the common room called out his name and asked how he did it. Harry just shook his head and headed out the portrait, he should have made sure Fleur was going to meet him for breakfast.

Harry passed a few people in the halls on the way to breakfast, it did not really get bad till he made it to the entrance hall. The Hufflepuff's that had always been pretty nice to him all glared at him, the other houses were no better. It seemed like only his own house wanted anything to do with him, Harry had gotten somewhat used to universal unpopularity in his second year. He sat down at the very end of the table as close as he could get to the head table as he could get, at least there people were unlikely to attack him.

The twins slid into the seats opposite him "Hey Harrikins, we are sorry about last night. We believe you. You have always been straight, no idea why anyone would think you would lie." One of the two nodded in agreement with the other "Yeah Harry, good luck. And we are sorry Ron is being a prat." Their eyes grew wide and looked at something behind Harry, he turned in his seat and watched Fleur approach him. She was a vision, she had put on a little makeup and curled her hair a little. The effect was greater than the sum of its parts, Harry smiled at her and got one in return as she sat down next to him and gave him a brief kiss on the lips.

Harry looked at the twins stunned reaction and had a hard time holding in his laughter "Can you two keep a secret? Fred and George nodded "Of course Harry, our lips are sealed." Harry looked at Fleur who nodded at him, he looked back to the twins "Gents, I would like to introduce you to my wife Fleur Potter." They looked at him with shocked faces then broke out laughing hysterically, one of them was rolling on the floor. They had garnered a decent amount of attention before they stopped, people were looking over with curiosity plain on their faces. Harry smirked at them and Fleur put her hand on the edge of the table tapping her ring against it gently, their eyes got as big as galleons "Harry…? Really?" He nodded at them "Umm well congrats you two, do you have twin sisters?" Fleur snorted and covered her mouth with a hand which had Harry looking at her in concern. She recovered quickly and shook her head "Non, one sister but she is only nine."

Fred and George looked heartbroken than grinned at them "We thank you for your trust, really you two. You will have to explain how you pulled this off some time Harry." They each grabbed a piece of toast and walked down the table and sat down with the chasers from the Quidditch team. Harry wrapped an arm around Fleur and gave her a squeeze "Anything you wanted to do today?" She looked thoughtful as she chewed on a piece of bacon "It is your first time, going to 'ogsmeade?" Harry nodded at her then remembered it would be hers too "I see your point Fleur, we will just wing it." She smiled at him and gave him another peck on the lips.

They walked through the streets of Hogsmeade hand in hand laughing and telling each other stories about their lives. Harry had never felt more comfortable talking to anyone. They went through Honeydukes and Harry learned that his wife had a giant-sized sweet tooth, He felt like he bought her half the shop but the glowing smile on her face made it worth every sickle. Harry showed her the shrieking shack, she knew the story behind it already and found it somewhat funny others were scared of it. Near lunch, they meandered their way to the Three Broomsticks.

As they walked into the pub Harry noticed a couple at the counter that stuck out in the crowd of school children. They were a finely dressed pair, the man wore a suit in a cut that Harry was not familiar with and the woman was gorgeous. She had shoulder length platinum blonde hair and clear skin with even features. Harry had a sinking feeling as he connected the dots, Fleur had squeezed his hand and was halfway to the couple "Pere, Maman! What are you doing here?" she said almost too quickly for Harry to follow in French. He followed Fleur over standing a few feet away watching her greet her parents with hugs.

Alain Delacour held out his hand towards Harry, he stepped forward and shook his father-in-law's hand with a friendly smile on his face "It is good to see you sir" Alain put his other hand on top of their already clasped hands and smiled as well "You as well Harry." He released Harry's hand and looked at his daughter "Fleur, Madame Maxime contacted us with some rather interesting news." Fleur stepped away from her parents and took Harry's hand in hers "Can we get a room? I doubt anyone speaks french but it is a secret for a few more days."

Her parents got Madame Rosmerta to open a private room for them and delivered some Butterbeer for everyone. Once the door closed Fleur cleared her throat "Pere, Maman, I would like to introduce you to 'Arry Potter. My 'usband." Harry looked between her and her parents looking for early warning of his imminent demise, instead, Alain picked up his Butterbeer and sipped at it "May we inquire as to why this was done during the school year and without our knowledge." Harry released a breath he did not know he was holding, Fleur quickly filled her parents in on her reasoning. Harry was surprised to see them nodding along near the end.

Appoline smiled at Harry "Welcome to our family Harry, what is done is done. Would you consider a wedding for our family this summer?" Harry smiled and looked at Fleur with a quirked eyebrow, she just squeezed his arm gently "If it is what Fleur wants, I would do anything to make her happy" Alain chuckled and said quietly to his wife "Well he has the first part down, and he does speak French." The rest of lunch went pleasantly, her parents seemed to accept her decision and reasoning. They were not overjoyed about it, but they were very kind to Harry.

Harry and Fleur made their way back to the school, they passed Ron and Hermione. Ron said loudly in a carrying voice "If people would just admit how they cheated for attention everyone could move on." Fleur squeezed his hand and pulled him for a few steps till he kept walking of his own volition "Do not listen to zem 'arry zey will come around." Harry smiled at her weakly and squeezed her hand back "I know, I have always known they see me as The Harry Potter and not as Harry. I just decided if I only accepted friends that only saw me as Harry I would only have one friend." Fleur yanked him into a hug, then let him go and lead him into the Great Hall for dinner.

They sat alone at the end of the table, Dumbledore kept trying to catch Harry's eye but he only had eyes for Fleur. They enjoyed the meal as quickly as they could without causing indigestion then stood up and walked out together. At the entrance hall, Harry pulled Fleur into a hug and whispered into her ear "I will be at your window as soon as I can." Fleur kissed him on the cheek and walked out the front doors.

'OvO'

Fleur helped Harry crawl into her window with a bright mischievous smile "Why Mr. Potter we have got to stop meeting like zis" Harry flashed her a grin and took a moment to look at what his wife had chosen to sleep in. She was wearing small athletic shorts and a soft looking but tight shirt, he recognized it as what most young women would term as pajamas. On Fleur, it looked nothing short of enticing. Fleur watched him, her experience with knowing when men were checking her out, almost a year of it being constant was well honed. She posed playfully, not having the experience yet to make it truly striking "Well? Do I pass?"

Harry blushed bright red, embarrassed to be caught out so easily. Fleurs throaty chuckle washed over him "'Arry I do not mind when it is you, it is with love, non?" He met her eyes and saw them full of love and no small amount of mirth, with a huff he pulled her into a hug. She shuffled forward and shimmied against him until she was pressed all the way against him. "Why 'ide zat we are sleeping together?" Harry kissed her nose which made her go momentarily cross-eyed "I am a little worried the second someone finds out they will stop us."

She poked him in the stomach "Non, We should talk about zis. What it will mean for us beyond zis year. 'Arry I could transfer 'ere and request accommodations for married students." Harry stared at her for a second letting his mind catch up with the implications "Those exist? I have not heard of any of the older years doing so. Are you sure you want to leave Beauxbatons? We do not have almost any of your electives." She cupped his cheek in her palm and looked him in the eyes "'Arry, 'onestly my first concern is being near you. You know I have no friends at school and we could find tutors to cover ze subjects I need." Her eyes lit up and she dove off the bed making Harry give a surprised yelp. He watched her rather cute derriere swing in the air as she dug for something.

She shimmied back from the bed and held out a pair of high-quality leather boots towards him. Harry's face lit up "Are those the boots with the cushioning enchantment?" She nodded excitedly "Oui, I kept forgetting to give zem to you. Zey were my OWL project for enchanting. I zink zey will last for a few years." Harry took them and stroked the supple leather "Thank you Fleur, We should ask about transferring you to Hogwarts. I do not wish to be separated again either." Fleur flew into Harry's arms shoving him back onto the bed, she was quickly covering his face with small kisses everywhere she could reach. Harry responded by tickling her, which lead to her trying to tickle him back. Red-faced and breathing hard they both fell rolled onto their backs next to each other. "I love you Fleur" she turned to look at him her hair spread around her head in a wild halo "I love you too 'arry."

'OvO'

Harry woke up to the warm heaven that was Fleur, the smell of fresh rain and spring flowers filling his senses. She was spooned against him in a most comforting way, Harry had never slept so good as he had these last two nights. There was something about her that robbed his nightmares of all their power, giant basilisks, and Tom Riddle had nothing on Fleur. Harry squeezed her gently wrapping his arm more firmly around her body and pulled her closer, he almost panicked when she pushed back against him "Morning 'arry, is zat your wand?" she said with a soft throaty chuckle. Harry tried doing multiple things at once that ended with him jumping away from Fleur like he had been burned, he found himself in a pile on the floor with his face shining like a beacon.

Fleur sleepily looked over the side of the bed with a wide grin on her face and her eyes sparkling "Non? 'Appy to see me zen?" Harry's reaction almost sent her into hysterics. Harry quietly wondered if he would ever understand women. Her laughing fit devolved into giggles than a wide eye innocent look as she looked into his eyes "'Arry we are married, and you will sleep in my bed for ze rest of your life. 'Ave you 'ad ze talk?" The confusion on Harry's face adequately answered her question. "Merde, 'arry 'as anyone ever talked to you about sex?" She slid off the bed and wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head against her chest.

Fleur kicked herself for not thinking about this well in advance, being Veela she had the conversation with her mother at a rather young age. If for no other reason than to explain that what and the why of the history of her people. Being French probably helped as well, nude beaches were common in France. She was not allowed to swim without being covered herself, her parents were too worried her heritage would make someone do something foolish but she had seen other people nude enough to know the differences at a young age. She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair, she could feel him relax against her.

Fleur started with the basics, explaining procreation to him in scientific terms and detail. This elicited a stubborn "I know where babies come from Fleur" from Harry. She simply continued to run her fingers through his hair and talked about sexuality and how it naturally developed as young people went through puberty. Her description of masturbation and erections had Harry's face doing a decent imitation of a tomato "So you see, 'arry eet is perfectly acceptable for you to wake up in such a state. And a leetle flattering to me, oui?" After a long few minutes of silence and more gentle stroking of hair, Harry sat up and looked at her face meeting her eyes "I suppose Fleur, uhm… thank you for that."

She gave him a dazzling smile then leaned in and kissed him slowly making it passionate, their tongues trying new things. She took his hand and gently placed it against her breast, he held it flat and stiff without moving it. She continued to kiss him and hold his hand to her, slowly he squeezed her gently which elicited a low moan into his mouth. Harry broke away from the kiss and dropped his hand. "Zat was your reward for being patient" Harry grinned at her "I may have to take up meditation." Her musical laugh made Harry feel warm and loved, there were much worse things in the world than beautiful women insisting you can touch their body.

'OvO'

They got dressed and Harry snuck back up to the dorms by way of his broom. Harry made sure the coast was clear and took a shower, his thoughts were all over the place. He had somehow found himself in the fantasy of every boy in school, his first friend had somehow turned into a goddess. And not only did she want to date him, or be his girlfriend that alone would have made Harry gulp. But she had married him and seemed to fully intend to take the role of his wife very seriously. Harry turned the shower on cold and put his hand against the wall, the memory of what had happened only a few moments ago swimming through his mind.

It was a strange thought but the more Harry thought about it the more he had to come to the conclusion that Fleur really did love him, really did want to be married to him. She had said as much but the armor Harry had built up over the years of abuse from his relatives took a fair amount of work to get through. Harry thought about what it would feel like to try to kiss Fleur and she shied away from him or rejected him, it hurt, and he had been doing just that on a larger scale to her. He might as well as told her he did not want her, and that was the farthest thing from the truth. Harry resolved to tell her about how he grew up, he did not know the words 'Intimacy issues' but if he did he would have thought they fit rather well.

Harry quickly got dressed and rushed down to the Great Hall, he was pretty sure a few people had hailed him. He was not feeling much like hearing anything but Fleurs laugh so hurried on unconcerned about what others felt like or needed to say, in this moment only Fleur's words mattered. As he saw her at the Gryffindor table sitting with Angelina and Katie Bell he realized that ever since he met her it was really only her opinion that had mattered to him. He walked up behind her and when she looked up to see who was so close to her he leaned over and kissed her passionately but briefly leaving her with a slightly stunned expression "I love you Fleur, I have loved you for a long time." The smile he got was the only reward he would ever need.

"Me to mon amour, I was just ensuring zese lovely ladies I 'ad not used my Veela magic on you." She said as she patted the seat next to her, Harry plopped down then scooted so their sides were touching and took her hand in his giving it a squeeze. He then looked at Angelina and Katie who were looking a little awkward "I thought you two were mad at me for getting put into the tournament against me will." Angelina gave him an angry glare and Katie blushed "We are teammates Harry, we may not always agree with what you do but we look out for one another." Angelina stated as if it was obvious Katie added "I believe you Harry, you are not really the sort to go looking for trouble. It generally finds you well enough. Are you okay, is Fleur mistreating you in any way?" Fleur snorted and shook her head looking exasperated. Harry simply smiled, maybe he had more friends than he thought "I really appreciate the concern guys, but me and Fleur have been penpals and best friends since before I got to Hogwarts. She has saved my life and is the best person I know. If you give her a chance and look past how guys gawp at her like an all you can eat buffet I think you guys would be friends too."

The smiles answered Harry rather well and the side hug he received from Fleur told him she appreciated his words as well "Well I suppose as long as she is not after our boyfriends, not that you are not a nice guy Harry…" Harry laughed and looked at Fleur with a quirked eyebrow. She winked at him "'Arry and I would like to share something with you two, would you accompany us to 'ogsmeade after breakfast?" They agreed to accompany them and they ate breakfast together the girls getting to know Fleur. Alicia joined them halfway through and Fred and George slightly after. They were invited along as well, the group eventually decided on meeting up in a private room at the Three Broomsticks so Harry and Fleur could have another date day.

Harry and Fleur walked into Hogsmeade hand in hand, they both felt lighter than they could remember feeling. Fleur begged him to go into Zonkos apparently magical France lacked a funny bone and she had never seen a joke shop before. The way everything seemed to delight her warmed Harry's heart, they both made their way around the store laughing and discussing what various products could be used for. Harry bought a hat that made the user look ugly to those around them but normal to themselves, he was very entertained when Fleur put it on and the worst it could manage was making it look like she had ear hair. Fleur bought a small wand-like device that made it sound like its target had farted very loud, Harry was highly amused that Fleur was into such bawdy humor.

They slowly made their way to the Three Broomsticks stopping for a quick kiss every once in awhile when Draco's dulcet tones invaded their day "What's the matter, Potter? Could not get a normal girl so you had to buy a creature?" Harry spun around and saw Malfoy surrounded by his usual goons and various other Slytherin hanger on. He opened his mouth to say something when a large wet ripping sound came from Draco's backside making everyone around him jump and look at him with a mixture of surprise and disgust. Harry was not able to help himself he burst out laughing, Malfoy's red face would be stuck in his memory for a long time. Fleur pulled him by his hand away from them before they could recover, she wiggled her eyebrows at him which just made him laugh more.

"Oh Merlin Fleur, I love how you solve problems. Did you see his face?" She grinned and twirled the diminutive wand between her fingers "Zis is not for jokes 'arry, it is for popping ze egos of pompous boys." Harry smirked, "Well, it certainly had a lot of air in it when it popped, I heard it from here." Their laughter filled the streets of Hogsmeade until they made it to their destination. The room had already been reserved by Fred and George so they bought a pitcher of Butterbeer and went back to join their friends.

They were warmly welcomed by the twins, Angelina and Katie. Alicia seemed to be withholding her judgment, Harry was somewhat touched Fred and George had resisted telling their girlfriends what was going on. After the group settled in the girls quieted down and looked at Harry expectantly "Harry you said you had something to share?" Harry looked at Fleur innocently "Did I say that Fleur?" her burbling chuckle made him smile widely "'Arry, stop teasing ze girls, zey are your friends." He nodded sagely and looked back to the girls "I would like to properly introduce you to my wife, Fleur Potter. Fleur meet Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell. The best chasers a bloke could ask for."

Harry wished he had thought to bring a camera, the wide-eyed shock and surprise was priceless. Luckily for him, George had him covered, a brief flash lit up the room before the two red-haired menaces were howling. Fleur gave them her best smile and held out her hand with the ring clearly visible. Angelina recovered first in a weak voice she said: "I guess we do not have to worry about you stealing our boyfriends." Fleur filled the room with her musical laughter that had Fred and George's eyes glazing over for a few seconds "Non, 'arry is ze only one for me." Katie shook her head then smiled "Well that is a relief, you are bloody gorgeous. How is a girl to compete?" Fleur shook her head gently "You are all very pretty, you would not want to be me. Ze boys do not look at me, all zey see is ze allure, and all zey do is drool or try to grope me."

Harry gave her a cheeky grin and pretended to grope her breast as if to demonstrate, Fleur playfully slapped his hand away "Non, 'arry." She smirked cheekily as well and added: "Not in public, what will your friends zink of me?" The whole room burst into laughter, the ice seemed to have broken. Fleur hoped that she had made Harry's friends hers as well, it would be nice to have male and female friends. Or really any friends at all, In her mind Harry had transcended from friend to family, and then to Husband.

'OvO'

Dumbledore was waiting for Harry when he and Fleur walked back through the school gates hand in hand. He approached the pair and walked alongside them with a grandfatherly air about him. "Mr. Potter would you walk with me to my office, I would like to discuss your current predicament." Harry looked up at the man, he had always respected Dumbledore "Of course sir, has there been any more information on who put my name in the Goblet?" As they walked up the castle's stairs to the main entrance Dumbledore appeared to hesitate "I am afraid not Harry, I put Professor Moody on it but he has come up dry. Whoever did it certainly does not wish you well."

Harry nodded as if he expected this answer as Fleur gave his hand a squeeze in silent support. They made it to the gargoyle in companionable silence "Sugar Quills" Dumbledore said with some relish. He turned and looked at Harry and Fleur "Miss Delacour this is where we leave you, I am sure Harry will be down to dinner shortly." Fleur shook her head "Non, 'eadmaster, My name is Mrs. Potter. I would 'ear you say it." Dumbledore shook his head gently putting on an air of disappointment, Fleur's eyes flared up glowing with suppressed anger "Say. My. Name" she bit out.

Dumbledore looked uncomfortable for a moment then finally nodded his head slowly "Mrs. Potter it is then." He swept up the stairs, the Potters followed him into his office. Dumbledore turned as he sat at his desk, he looked up and saw Fleur had followed. He looked tempted to say something but kept his peace. Harry suppressed a smirk, he had only seen Fleur's temper a few times now but he now understood why the book she gave him referred to Veela as creatures of air, fire, and passion.

"I would like to request a transfer to your fine institution for next year 'eadmaster." Dumbledore looked up at the ceiling and tented his hands for three long breaths "I believe that would be possible Mrs. Potter, we would need your transcripts. I assume they are immaculate seeing as you were selected to be a school Champion." Fleur gave a sharp nod "Zey are 'eadmaster, we will also need access to married quarters." Dumbledore looked at Harry "Harry? Is this what you wish?" Harry nodded "If I understand everything correctly Headmaster we are entitled to be roomed together." Dumbledore slowly nodded "There is precedent, it has not been used for some time. But I believe if I denied your request you may make the same to Beauxbatons?" Fleur nodded firmly.

Dumbledore looked like he dearly wished to sigh in frustration "Then I believe we are done, good day Mr. and Mrs. Potter." Harry stood up and helped Fleur to her feet "Good day Headmaster." Once they were at the bottom of the stairs Harry leaned against the wall and took a deep breath "Bloody hell Fleur, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Fleur rubbed his arms "I'm sorry 'arry, he needed to know 'ow it was going to be. If I let him use my maiden name 'e would not 'ave let us have married quarters." Harry nodded and gave her a small cheeky smile "And I am looking forward to those." Fleur giggled and slapped his arm playfully.

'OvO'

Harry's good mood could not even be punctured by the efforts of Malfoy and Snape, his week had been filled with fresh rainfall and spring flowers. They saw less of each other when classes resumed but they made a point to have every meal together, the boys of Hogwarts spent a good deal of them shooting harry filthy looks. And so far no one had noticed his change in sleeping venue, Harry was just starting to understand how lacking his life was. His nights in Fleurs arms were full of love, caring, and comfort. Before he had met her those concepts had been foreign and fleeting, he connected them to brief feelings of warmth in his bleak life. They had gone no further than snogging and occasionally waking up in compromising positions which left Harry blushing and Fleur giggling, but Harry was immensely happy with the situation. He could surely do with a lifetime of Fleur.

Buzzing around his consciousness as he finished his potion for the day Harry was barely aware of Snape's taunts when he was snapped out of his contemplations of how silky Fleur's hair way by a young quavering voice "Excuse me, professor, Harry Potter is needed at the weighing of the wands." Harry looked up seeing the small form of a terrified Colin Creevey at the door, Snape sneered at him "Our resident… Champion will have to finish his potion tonight in detention then." Harry bottled his sample and labeled it quickly "No need Professor Snape I have finished." He set it down on Snape's desk without even looking up. He quickly cleaned up his station and scooted out of the classroom like a basilisk was on his tail. "Good afternoon Colin, why did they send you?" Colin gulped almost audibly as he lead Harry "I… I was passing by the classroom they are using and got voluntold to come get you."

Harry laughed and slapped Colin on the back "That's a good one Colin, I will have to remember it," Colin gave him a weak smile then stopped at a door and motioned at it, Harry could hear a group of people talking. Harry siddled into the room hoping to go unnoticed, he saw the other champions talking to Dumbledore and Madame Maxime. Durmstrangs did not seem to be in attendance, there was also a lantern-jawed woman that had a badge on her flamboyant magenta robes it read 'Press'. A man Harry would have mistaken for a transient on London streets stood behind her with the most complex wizarding camera he had ever seen. The man's eyes were locked lasciviously and Fleurs posterior as she tried to ignore him by seeming engrossed in her conversation with her Headmistress.

The room noticed Harry when the lantern-jawed woman hailed him "Oh Harry! I would love to talk to you for a minute, youngest Champion managed to sneak his way in. Ladies love a rogue." She gave a wink with the last. Harry blushed and muttered, "I did not enter my own name." Dumbledore called out "Now that the fourth Champion is here we can get started. Mrs. Potter, I believe you are first." The predatory gleam on the lantern-jawed woman's face told Harry she had not missed the implications. As Fleur stepped towards Ollivander Cedric grabbed Harry's elbow gently and steered him in a way that the sight line was blocked by Madame Maxime's bulk "Harry, watch out for Rita Skeeter. She delights in destroying peoples reputations."

Harry connected the dots on who he was referring to and gave a grateful smile "Thanks for the heads up, I want to see Fleur's weighing one second." He stepped back out just in time to catch Ollivander say "I have never used Veela hair as a core. It tends to make the wand temperamental and it rarely chooses anyone who does not have matching heritage. Regardless, it is well taken care of and extremely well suited for charms." He stroked the wand like it was a most delicate object for a few more moments then muttered "Orchideous" a single orchid shot out a little too quickly for him to catch and bounced off Fleurs chest. "Temperamental but in good working order." He handed it back to Fleur handle first and she stepped back.

"Mr. Krum next." Krum walked forward and offered his want to Ollivander handle first. Harry saw that Krum's wand was much thicker and a little shorter than most wands he had seen. Ollivander ran his fingers along it and even held it up to his ear for a moment. "Gregorovitch?" Krum gave a nod "One of his last." Ollivander just nodded absently "hornbeam and dragon heartstring I believe, inflexible. But powerful." Ollivander quickly cast a shield then a low powered cutter "I see, always on the offense dragons… Good working order Mr. Krum." He handed it back handle first once more.

"Mr. Diggory, I believe yours is one of mine. Ash, Tail hair of a fine specimen of a Unicorn. Best for transfiguration and the pure of heart." Cedric blushed and nodded. Ollivander quickly transfigured a wine class then shot some wine into it from the tip of the wand. "Well cared for and in good working order." Cedric smiled "I polish it every night sir." Harry almost burst out laughing when he heard Fleur mutter "I bet 'e does." Ollivander smiled faintly and handed the wand back to Cedric.

"Mr. Potter, I offer my congratulations on your nuptials I am sorry I could not attend." Harry stepped forward and offered him his wand "It was a small ceremony sir" Fleur added from behind him "And was done in a bit of a rush if we 'ad more time you would 'ave been included." Ollivander simple nodded his eyes already locked on Harry's wand. "I remember this wand like it was only yesterday. Eleven inches, holly wood that was most supple. And one of my most rare cores, the tail feather of a Phoenix. It is… well used. A little polish would not hurt." Harry blushed while Ollivander shot a flock of birds out of his hand. "It is in good working order, Mr. Potter, do remember to take better care of your wand. A well cared for wand will care for its Wizard." He handed it back handle first, Harry took it and tried to polish it with a handful of his robes. Sparks shot out of it bouncing off Fleurs hip, she looked at him with a small smirk.

"I believe we are done for the day.." Dumbledore began to say but was cut off by Rita "Not yet Headmaster we need pictures for the Daily Prophet article. We plan on doing a large feature on the Tournament." Dumbledore nodded absently "Oh, very well Miss Skeeter." They were all shuffled into the middle of the room and put through many different poses. They must have all stood in every conceivable position Harry thought. Just before he thought they were done she insisted on individual portraits. The disgusting cameraman spent almost five minutes on Fleur alone before Rita elbowed him in the stomach to get him to move along.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter, would you mind taking a shot together?" Harry looked at Fleur, she was already answering Rita "Of course Miss Skeeter, would you send us a copy? It would be our first as a married couple." Rita looked like Christmas had come early "Of course Mrs. Potter, maybe I could request a short interview after…" Fleur nodded as the cameraman directed Harry to hold her gently from behind, she smiled gently. Harry did his best to look like he deserved to be anywhere near Fleur. With the picture complete Rita bustled over and pulled out quill and parchment. "Miss Skeeter, we do not mind answering questions but it is a school day can we keep it short?" Rita looked a little taken back by Fleurs request "Of course, May we switch to first names? It just seems so… formal. My name is Rita." Harry was impressed with how quickly she seemed to recover "I do not mind" Harry said. Fleur agreed with a nod.

"Good, Harry. Married already, and at such a young age. Was a contract involved?" Harry glanced at Fleur quickly who did not seem to move a muscle "No, Rita. We choose each other." Rita nodded encouragingly, Harry did not feel the need to elaborate so she moved on "How did you two meet? Whirlwind Romance? Love at first sight? Elicit midnight soiree?" Fleur let out a tinkling laugh unlike any Harry had heard her use so far, He suspected it was fake "Non, longtime friends. Sometimes zose grow into something more." Fleur's smile became a serious expression "One more question Rita, we really must go." Rita tried to hide her disappointment "Youngest Champion in three hundred years and entered against the rules. How did you do it, Harry?" Harry looked at her seriously "I did not enter myself. Headmaster Dumbledore provided the security of the Goblet himself and has stated that I could not have, He is investigating who did and why with the assistance of Professor Moody."

Rita looked surprised, Harry could not tell if she believed him "Well thank you both for answering my questions. I did not see a marriage announcement for you two, an oversight I am sure. Would you mind if I did the honors?" Fleur gave her a dazzling smile "Non, We would be happy if you did so. 'Ave a good day Rita." Fleur took Harry's hand and led him out of the room "What was that about?" He asked. Fleur gave him an odd look "Press are like vultures, give zem nothing and zey pick at ze bones or worse. Make zings up entirely." Harry nodded slowly "So we be friendly and give her just enough and hope it comes out positively?" Fleur kissed him on the cheek "Zat is ze plan."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the world is not just.**

 **A/N: While I am unsure about doing so, I will change the rating to Mature now. Really getting into the guts of the story now. Hope you guys enjoy it. Likely to be no update til 1/31/18 or so.**

After another restful night in Fleurs arms, they left the carriage together arm in arm. The time for hiding had come to an end, and they were all and truly glad. They got some odd looks from the other French students one, in particular, stood in their way, she was a short brunette with curly waist length hair "Putain, a boy in your room Fleur why am I not surprised?" she said with a sneer. Fleur looked about ready to spit fire "Oui, Collette. We are allowed to have spouses in our rooms." The girls face ran through an interesting range of colors and emotions "Spouse? Who would marry a putain like you?" Harry cleared his throat and spoke in French as they had been "Harry Potter, Charmed, and I would appreciate it if you would stop calling my wife a whore." Harry really needed to start carrying a camera, he could be rich he thought. Fleur pushed past the girl and guided Harry out to the grounds.

"Zat could 'ave gone worse" Fleur stated in the cool morning air. Harry could not help it he chuckled "Really? She seemed to really hate you." Fleur nodded and hung her head a little "'er boyfriend was ze first to grope at me in school, I am ashamed to admit 'e was the only one to 'ave succeeded. She accused me of trying to steal ze cochon." Harry stopped her and pulled her into a tight hug, she only resisted a little before settling into his comforting embrace. "I am sorry you had to go through that Fleur, it is nothing you should be ashamed of. He should have lost the hand, though I admit most guys would count that as a fair exchange." Fleurs musical laughter filled the morning lighting up Harry's world.

"If touching my breasts is worth losing a 'and 'arry Potter why do zey get lonely at night?" she said slyly. Harry's face flushed and his mouth moved without sound. Fleur laughed with delight, she enjoyed making Harry's face red, it was too easy, but she truly enjoyed making him speechless. She thought he looked rather cute when his jaw hung open, she smirked at him and closed his mouth by pushing his bottom jaw up with a finger then kissed him "Zink about it, Oui?" she added with a wink. Harry nodded dumbly and thought he may have trouble thinking of anything else for the rest of the day.

They made their way into the half-full Great Hall, it went strangely silent. Harry and Fleur walked down to the end of the table where the rest of the Quidditch team were waiting for them. They were all looking at a copy of the Daily Prophet, one of the twins, Harry was not sure which spun the paper around and pushed it towards him.

 _The Boy-who-lied or the Boy-who-loved?_

 _By: Rita Skeeter_

 _Yours truly spent yesterday at our country's greatest institution, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This years Triwizard Championship, which has been reinstated after one hundred years of disuse due to an overabundance of death (See pg.3) Has begun. It not only started with a bang, it started with a fourth champion, Britain's own Harry Potter. Alongside Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts, Viktor Krum international Quidditch star (See pg.4) for Durmstrang and Mrs. Fleur Potter for Beauxbatons. You read the right loyal readers, your witch on the spot was there to meet the newly minted Mrs. Potter and discuss the nuptials with her Husband. "It was a small ceremony" Mr. Potter stated his emerald eyes wide and glowing with internal mystery. His wife, when asked if their relationship was one of ephemeral young love, stated that they had been childhood sweethearts._

 _While the picture presented by the couple was one of spousal bliss yours truly decided to dig deeper. A young Draco Malfoy who is as handsome as he is eligible stated "There is no way Potter has been with her for years, no one in the school has ever seen her or heard him say a word about it. We suspect he is paying her to make him look good." Is it true? Is the boy-who-lived paying a young beautiful Veela to play trophy wife to garner more fame? Did he cheat his way into the Triwizard Tournament to bolster his flagging fame? This intrepid reporter intends to find out._

Harry looked at Fleur to gauge her reaction, she shrugged and pushed it back towards the middle of the table "I suppose it could 'ave been worse, she did not outright insult us. She simply posed silly questions and supported a weak rumor." Alicia leaned forward "It might not look that bad on the surface but you do not know England Fleur, some people are always going to think the worst. I would not be surprised if people assumed you were an… escort and Harry hired you." Harry looked rather startled but Fleur simply snorted "If zats ze worst zey can do zen we will be fine. Anyone with 'alf a brain can check the marriage registry and see what cannot be faked."

Malfoy waved a paper from the other side of the room and yelled "Hey Potter, how much for a night with her? Or do I have to wait for your contract to run out?" The Slytherin table burst into laughter, Harry shot them a dark look then hung his head. Fred and George looked at each other for a moment having one of their odd internal dialogues, they nodded at the same time then looked at Harry "Don't you worry about him Harry, we got something special." Fleur leaned in "I want in, 'e should suffer." The malicious glint in her eyes impressed even the twins "Deal." They said in unison.

"Harry?" A timid voice said from behind him, he turned and was surprised to see Hermione standing there twisting one foot as if embarrassed "Hermione! How are you doing, I feel like we haven't talked in forever." Hermione looked up with a surprised look on her face before Harry could register what was happening he was engulfed in bushy brunette hair and a near suffocating hug "I'm sorry Harry, I should have known you wouldn't of entered yourself… and Ron was really angry…" Harry realized she was quietly crying on his shoulder when she whispered: "And you didn't seem to need me." Harry heard waves for a second completely stunned. He had been a bit of an arse not to think about how Hermione would feel about being left out of a secret as big as Fleur.

He hugged her back for a few moments then pushed her back so he could see her face "No, I am sorry Hermione I didn't think… Would you like to meet my wife Fleur?" She hiccuped wetly then wiped her eyes, with a small smile she offered a hand to Fleur "I believe we have met, but my name is Hermione Granger. Harry is my best friend." Harry was slightly startled by her declaration, he had never considered that he might be her best friend even if she was not always his. He realized that now that Fleur had been upgraded to wife that Hermione was really his best friend as well. Fleur stood from the table and gave Hermione a firm hug "It is nice to meet you properly 'ermione. I am Fleur Potter, we are dreadfully sorry you could not be at ze wedding." Hermione chuckled as they stopped hugging.

Harry had a sudden idea "Hermione, Fleur's parents want us to have a real wedding this summer in France would you be my best man?" The Quidditch team burst into laughter while Fleur grinned at him and rubbed the small of his back, Hermione looked momentarily stunned "I would be honored Harry, you do know I am a girl right…?" Harry chuckled and pushed her shoulder playfully "Long hair, breasts, nice rear. Check, check, check. Yep, definitely a girl." Hermione flushed crimson "Harry!" she whined. Harry gave Fleur a look and they both broke out into giggles.

"It is good to talk to you again Harry, but aren't you a bit young to be married?" Hermione asked after recovering from being teased. The rest of the Quidditch team nodded at her question, Katie piped up "We were wondering how you managed that, magic is not supposed to accept a marriage unless both participants are of age." Harry pulled Hermione into a seat between him and Fleur and gathered his thoughts for a second "It was Fleur who pulled it off really When the Goblet spit out my name I guess magic got confused. Either I was of age and had to compete, or I wasn't and my name should have never come out. Fleur tricked the ministry officials into saying I had to compete, which meant that they agreed I was of age as well. Before they figured it out and put paid to it Fleur took advantage and married us while they argued. I wish you guys had been there, Fleur was brilliant." The twins looked at Harry then at each other then started bowing to Fleur over and over again "Teach us oh prankster of all pranksters!"

Cedric walked up to the laughing crowd around Harry watching Fleur blush at the Weasley twin's antics made him smirk. "Hey, Harry." Harry turned in his seat and hailed him mirthfully "Cedric! Join us." Cedric chuckled and shook his head "I have to get back to Cho in a minute, I just wanted to apologize about the badges. I told everyone in Hufflepuff to leave off." Harry looked confused "Badges?" Everyone but Fleur looked at him like he had grown an extra head. Cedric spoke first "You haven't seen them? I confiscated one…" He pulled it out of his pocket and Harry saw it change from "Support Cedric Diggory, the true Hogwarts Champion!" to "Potter stinks!" Harry laughed and shook his head, that was a really piss poor taunt. "Mind if I keep that one Cedric? I appreciate you trying to put a stop to it." Cedric handed it to him and looked at Harry quizzically as Harry put the badge proudly onto his chest.

Harry flashed Cedric a grin "You are the real school Champion Cedric, you have my full support. And it will remind me to take a shower." Cedric laughed and shook his head "Thanks, Harry, you're taking it better then I would." He walked off shaking his head with a grin on his face. Harry turned and smiled at the group "Anyone up for Hogsmeade?.

'OvO'

After dinner that evening Harry and Fleur walked hand in hand out the front doors of the castle, and without bothering to ask a soul they went directly to Fleur's room. She put up silencing wards the moment they were in the room. Whether no one cared if they were sleeping together or they just took everyone by surprise they were not sure, what they did know was it could wait for morning. They hugged the second Fleur was done with the ward and both were surprised to hear a scrabbling at the window, looking over they saw a rather small owl trying to get inside. The owl hopped in happily when they opened the window and offered his foot, they untied it working together and spread it open on Fleur's dresser.

 _Pup,_

 _Moonies crib, Immediately._

The note was signed with a large dogs paw print.

Fleur sighed theatrically "Looks like bed will 'ave to wait, time to meet ze inlaws." Harry grinned and pulled out his invisibility cloak and dropped carefully out the window. He looked up to see Fleur backing out and watched as she slipped, he moved quickly and managed to catch her in his arms "My 'ero." She said in an overly breathy voice and gave him a quick kiss before wriggling until he set her down. He threw the cloak over both of them, it had either shrunk since he last used it or he had grown. He had to wrap his arms tightly around Fleur and walk slowly with her in front, the friction was not doing him any favors.

When they got to the whomping willow he carefully levitated a small stick to hit the knot then maneuvered them into the waiting tunnel. As soon as they were undercover he spun Fleur around and roughly pushed her against the wall engulfing her lips with his, his hands ran up and down her sides. She kissed him back with a fervor until they both had to break off for air, their lips swollen and red. She giggled and rubbed his arm "Someone get worked up walking over 'ere?" Harry was glad that it was so dark in the tunnel "Little." He grabbed her hand before she could tease him anymore and lead her down the tunnel and into the house, the first thing they noticed was a weak light coming from upstairs. Harry muttered "Lumos" and lead her up the stairs, poking his head around the corner to peek into the room. He saw his godfather in his dog farm laying on the bed, he looked painfully thin but looked up and let out an excited doggy noise when he saw Harry.

Sirius was suddenly standing on the bed, he was near skeletal but his hair had been tamed it made him look significantly better. "Pup! Someone put you into a death game and the Daily Prophet seems to think you hired a bird to look pretty on your arm." Sirius chuckled and pulled Harry into a hug which pulled Fleur into the room because she was still holding Harry's hand. "One bird reporting," she said cheekily. Her wide grin as Sirius nearly jumped out of his skin nearly had Harry on the floor. Harry had to shout to stop Sirius from his frantic search for his want "Sirius! It is okay, calm down I will explain."

Sirius had his wand the wrong way around in his hand before he froze and look up "You are married!" he squeaked, Harry was a little impressed at how quickly Sirius had come to the conclusion. To be fair the newspaper had reported it. Harry nodded Sirius got a sly grin and chucked Harry on the shoulder "And if I know my beautiful women, and I do Harry, A Veela. Bloody hell James would be proud." Fleur bobbed a small curtsey "Fleur Potter nee Delacour, Most pleased to meet you. Harry told me all about you last year." Sirius looked at Harry surprised "She knows I am innocent, you had a girlfriend and never told me?"

Harry chuckled "To be fair Sirius there was never really a chance what with all the life and death, Dementors and what not." Sirius started laughing "You pulled one over on me pup, a born Marauder." Harry looked Sirius up and down "You look terrible Sirius, we can bring you food. Are you staying here?" Sirius shook his head "No, far too dangerous this close to town. I have a decent cave outside Hogsmeade, me and Buckbeak." Harry looked relieved, the shack was not safe long-term "Think if we leave food here you can…" Harry paused mid-sentence "Sirius, follow us."

Harry lead Sirius and Fleur back into the tunnel he went about halfway down it till he figured they were within Hogwarts wards. "Dobby!" Harry called, Dobby appeared in front of him "Great Master Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby cried as he slammed into Harry's midriff hugging him almost painfully tight "Dobby be working at Hogwarts until Great Master Harry Potter Sir has his own home!" Harry looked at him a bit shocked "Do I own you Dobby?" Dobby's ears drooped a little and he looked down "Dobby was a free elf, a free elf chooses. Dobby chose to work for the Greatest Master ever." Harry decided that conversation could wait for another time "Dobby can you bring food into the Shrieking Shack?" Dobby nodded so fast and hard his ears made moist slapping sounds. Harry clasped his shoulders "It would be fantastic if you could serve us in the Shrieking Shack with whatever you can manage, Dobby this man is Sirius Black. He is my family. Sirius this is my friend Dobby."

Dobby's large tennis ball eyes started to drip like a faucet "Great Master Harry Potter Sir called Dobby a friend!" Harry looked a little stunned at the house elf's reaction "You are Dobby, could you come when Sirius calls and bring him food? He is staying just outside Hogsmeade." Dobby once more nodded with vigor "Dobby would be honored to serve Great Master Harry Potter Sir's dogfather." They all walked back inside as Dobby popped away to prepare the food. Dobby outdid himself, he provided a full meal and kept serving Sirius till he leaned back and rubbed his stomach "I have not eaten since I left the tropics this morning, and not much but what you can find in tree's there."

They caught Sirius up on what had been going on and how they got married, Sirius found it hilarious and declared it the best prank ever. He made Fleur an honorary Marauder, he explained Lily was the only other person to ever be given the honor. After everyone had finished Harry Hugged Sirius and promised to keep him up to date. Fleur and Harry walked back down the tunnel and got back under the invisibility cloak, this time he made Fleur hold him from behind. As they went Harry found himself in a different but equal hell, her breasts gently rubbing against his back was the most delightful torture he could imagine. They took turns levitating each other through Fleurs window, Harry quickly closed it then tackled a giggling Fleur to the bed snogging her until they both needed to regain their breath.

"I understood ze first time, I could feel your wand on my derriere ze whole way. But what set you off on ze way back?" Harry blushed crimson which had Fleur chortling in a most pleasing way. Harry took a deep breath, he had promised himself he would show Fleur she was wanted and loved. "Your breasts against my back the whole way." Fleur cackled with laughter when she recovered she removed her robe and then pulled her blouse over her head. She used her upper arms to squeeze her breasts together and upward making them strain at her bra, a pretty soft cupped mint green lace piece she had her mother help pick. "What zese?" she said in a coy tone. Harry gulped and slowly nodded his eyes locked on her chest.

She grinned "I grew zem just for you Mr. Potter" she teased leaning towards him. Harry looked like he could not decide if the window or the door was closer, his eyes still refusing to leave her perfect chest. Slower than a glacier he seemed to build up courage and reached for her hip and pulled her closer to him, he kissed her again slower than before but with as much feeling as he could muster. He broke away an eternity later and looked into her eyes "I desperately want you Fleur, your perfect, I.. I am just scared that if I do the wrong thing you will disappear like a dream in the morning light." Fleur searched his eyes for a moment then grabbed his hand in her slowly bringing them to her breasts and holding them there "Non 'arry. Ze dream is both of ours and we will not let eet go. I am yours." Harry gently squeezed her breasts then slid his hand around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

Almost so quietly she could not hear it in a small scared voice Harry whispered "Promise?" Fleur shoved down her frustration, she must not show Harry any sign of anger or he would run away. She knew his childhood had wounded him deeply. Shock therapy she decided, was necessary. She hugged him back just as tight then stood and pushed her skirt off letting it pool on the floor, she then looked into his eyes and held them with hers as she unclasped her bra letting it join her skirt. She could see Harry's eyes glowing, but most impressively they stayed locked onto hers. She leaned forward and whispered "Promise," as she removed her knickers and stood. Harry gulped his eyes desperately still desperately locked on hers.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up till he was standing, she pushed his robe off then started to unbuckle his trousers. Harry seemed stunned looking straight forward, she managed to drop his pants then pull his shirt over his head. She grabbed his hand again and lead him into the ensuite, she turned on the shower and turned to face him. "Trust me 'arry." He nodded a blush showing faintly on his cheeks as his eyes flicked down to Fleurs pink nipples. She smiled encouragingly at him and pushed down his boxers with both hands. She made sure the water was warm and stepped into it keeping his hand in hers.

She looked at him for a second letting him process then pulled him under the water, she turned him around and held him from behind.

She could feel him shivering, small quakes of tension running through his body. She slowly lowered them to the floor of the tub and made him sit between her legs pulling his back against her stomach and resting his head between her breasts. She ran her fingers through his wet hair, she let her long hair get wet and gather on his shoulders partially obscuring her breasts. She let the warm water run over them for a long time, running her fingers through his hair and rubbing his shoulders and chest gently with the other.

Eventually, he stopped shaking and rested against her perfectly still, for a moment she thought he had fallen asleep. "Fleur?" he asked quietly "Yes 'arry?" It took a long time but eventually, Harry spoke again "Why?" Fleur looked at the top of his head and pondered for a moment "Why what mon amour?" In a small broken voice, Harry responded: "Why do they hate me?" Fleur held him to her fiercely "Zey are inhuman mon amour, lower zen dirt." She felt him begin to cry and held him until he was once again calm. "It was not until I figured out what love was like that I could see what had been missing," Harry stated as if it was an interesting fact.

"I Promise 'arry, your life will be filled with love, so much others will look upon it from ze outside with envious eyes." Harry seemed to think about that for a few minutes and then said quietly "Fleur? We are naked." Fleur couldn't help it, she laughed deep and long. A laugh she felt like she had been holding all of her life. "Oui, Zat is true. It is time for bed mon amour." They stood and turned off the water, Fleur grabbed towels and wrapped them one around herself and then Harry. He turned around and held her against him "You are beyond beautiful Fleur, thank you." he murmured into the towel wrapped around her hair, noticing for the first time he was an inch or two taller than her now.

"You too mon amour, you are very 'andsome." Harry looked at her surprised, she shook her head at him "Oh, 'arry. You are an attractive man, I am sure ze girls of 'ogwarts are upset I snatched you away just as you 'it dating age." She chuckled at his expression and went to get pajamas out of her drawer, she looked at Harry for a moment considering what she was going to do then dropped her towel and quickly pulled on her undergarments choosing a matching set that did not quiet count as lingerie. She looked over her shoulder and saw Harry's eyes quickly traveling up from her derriere to meet her eyes "Did not get enough of a view earlier mon amour?" Harry blushed "I was doing my best to keep my eyes on yours, I mostly managed it." Fleur giggled and slid into the bed and patted next to her "It is getting late" she stated simply.

Harry went back into the bathroom and walked out again in his boxers and slid into bed next to her. She pulled his arms around her and backed her derriere against him playfully adjusting a little more than she needed to. Harry wrapped one arm around her stomach and cupped her breast with his other. They were both asleep before they remembered to turn off the lights.

'OvO'

Harry woke up with Fleurs head on his chest directly over his heart and one of her legs covering his, it was warm and loving. Harry laid back and soaked up the feeling, letting it deep into his soul. He desperately needed to process that this was real, last night had been magical. It was cathartic a release of tension he never knew he had been holding. He gently ran a hand through Fleurs beautiful platinum hair, it was like silk. There was something about the female gender that made them magical, they were soft, smelled good and carried an air of mystery and comfort with them wherever they went. Harry was not sure if it was because he was madly in love with her or if it was part of her heritage, Or maybe even just part of who she was as a person. But Harry felt like Fleur was all of that turned up to maximum, to him she was the ultimate woman, partner, and friend.

Fleur made a cute sound in her sleep as he stroked her hair, which encouraged him to continue with longer strokes that ran his hand over her arm as well, his fingers brushing the curve of her breast ever so slightly. She gave out a gentle moan of contentment and snuggled against him. Harry thought about touching her more intimately but was not ready to try that while she slept, he barely built up the courage when he was awake. Some Gryffindor he was, terrified of the gorgeous woman asleep in his arms. He couldn't help but chuckle at himself which woke up Fleur, her sleepy sapphire eyes looking into his "Morning mon amour." He leaned down and kissed her gently "Good morning my love."

They got dressed and walked out of the carriage with only a brief sneer from Collette to interrupt their day. Harry spotted Hagrid talking to Madame Maxime and waved at him "Harry! Come here a moment will ya?" Hagrid called as Madame Maxime walked away from him towards the castle. Fleur and Harry joined hands and walked over to him "Good morning Hagrid, I have not introduced you to Fleur yet. This is Fleur Potter, my wife. While I am on the subject I would like to invite you to our wedding this summer." Hagrid looked truly touched pulling out his oversized hanky and wiping his eyes "Oh I would be 'onored Harry. It is nice to meet you Fleur. Listen I have got an early wedding gift for both of yeh." Harry and Fleur both tried to protest but Hagrid held up his hands "No listen, your both Champions and I wanna see yeh live long enough for your wedding. Charlie Weasley is bringin' dragons, nestin' mothers. They are gonna make yeh steal an egg from them." Harry and Fleur paled.

"Dragons?" they said in unison, Hagrid nodded excitedly. They both gulped and looked at each other then back to Hagrid "We got to go Hagrid, thank you." As they walked away Harry turned to Fleur "I have got to tell Cedric, I do not care who wins. They are trying to kill us." She looked thoughtful for a second then nodded "Zen Viktor should be told as well, I joined so I could come see you. I do not particularly care who wins either." With the decision made they rushed up to the castle to hopefully catch everyone for at breakfast, they agreed to split up and bring the other two champions to a small room off the entrance hall.

Harry walked over to Krum at the Slytherin table completely blocking out Malfoy's taunts by forming a mental image of Fleur's perfect breasts, it worked remarkably well, maybe a little too well he thought as he walked with a bit of a hitch to his step. He made it to just behind Krum who turned around to talk see what he wanted "Viktor I need to talk to you for a minute can you come with me." Viktor seemed to think for a minute then nodded his assent and stood to follow him. Harry saw Fleur across the hall leading Cedric out to the entrance hall as well, it seemed to be starting some rumors. Harry figured he would not worry about what he could not change and led Viktor into the small side room "Vhat is it you Vanted?" Harry held up a hand to forestall the large Quidditch star which seemed to work to Harry's surprise. Fleur and Cedric walked in moments later "What is it? Champion meeting of some sort?" Fleur nodded with a small smile "Of a sort, we found out what the first task is. It is dangerous and we did not want you guys to possibly die because we did not speak up. It is nesting dragons, we are to steal an egg." Harry found himself impressed she strung together a whole sentence without hitting her accent once.

Viktor and Cedric looked stunned, Viktor started a low monotone speech in his native language. Harry suspected that it was curse words, it seemed like the proper time for curse words. Cedric gulped and slowly regained some of his color "Your sure?" Harry and Fleur nodded in unison. "Bloody hell, we have just under three weeks to prepare for a bloody dragon. They were going to shove us into a dragon enclosure without a word." Cedric said quietly. "Might I suggest an alliance? I think Fleur agrees with me when I say we would rather live than win." Harry said. Fleur nodded fervently.

Cedric nodded slowly and the three turned to look at Viktor. "Armistice?" Viktor grunted Cedric spoke first "So you will not help or hinder?" Viktor nodded "Vor now, if problem. Ve talk again." He stalked out leaving the other three staring after him. "Odd dude." Cedric said with a chuckle, then looked at the other two "If you guys need any help preparing I will do what I can, I have always been good the transfiguration so I will probably try something with that." Fleur smiled at Cedric "Charms I zink." Harry looked like a deer in the headlights "I have no idea." Fleur rubbed his back "We will figure it out 'arry."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or the isle of man, so stop asking.**

 **A/N: So this section certainly earns the mature rating. The story from this point on will be risque, do not say I did not warn you. It will be vastly more about romance than sex but a romance simply cannot exist without the physical component. I fought with myself a great deal writing this, I know there will be a lot of people thinking it was either too much or too little. In the end I went with my gut and I am happy with the result. I hope you all enjoy.**

As they left the side room into the entry hall the Weasley twins waved down Fleur, Harry walked over with her. "You wanted in on Malfoy's punishment?" Fleur nodded enthusiastically. "We are borrowing your wife till lunch Harry." One of the two said, Harry chuckled and waved as the trio ran up the stairs. He was happy to see Fleur gaining friends, as much as she was helping him he was just happy he could return the favor in any way.

Harry spent the time flipping through Fleur's fifth year books looking for some way he could get around a dragon, part of him thought he should look up types of dragons but without knowing what they were facing that could easily take him all the way up to the competition and he might still not know the specific type. Before he knew it people were filing into the room for lunch, Fred and George sat opposite him and gave him a wink "Your lovely wife will be with us momentarily." Harry shook his head smirking slightly "Should I be worried you have corrupted her?" The two laughed "Us corrupt her Harrikins? She is diabolical, we even offered her a spot in our joke shop. Turned us down flat by the way, says she promised to invent things with you."

Harry chuckled and nodded absently, Malfoy had walked in and made it to his seat. Almost immediately after Fleur swept into the room she wasn't wearing anything different but her eyes seemed to glow and her hair swirled pleasantly around her face as if in a gentle breeze, her already pleasantly plump pink lips seemed more enticing. Harry scanned the male population of the room and saw nearly every boy drooling, some literally. As she reached Harry the look suddenly disappeared and she sat down next to him "Distraction managed, non?"

"Was that your full allure?" Harry asked her in a whisper as he served himself "Oui, time to watch ze cochon mon amour." Harry turned just in time to watch Malfoy pick up his fork and have a light pink cloud engulf him, when it cleared he was wearing French maids costume painfully similar to one he had seen in the wash at his relatives one time. The twins leaped from their seats and with the synchronicity they were famous for wolf whistled at the same time. Malfoy stood at his table and looked down at himself seemingly frozen with shock, his pale skin flushed with embarrassment. Harry noticed at this point that Malfoy's already long hair had extended to his shoulders in a haircut very reminiscent of Daphne Greengrass.

Snape had stalked over to Malfoy and was attempting to dispel the costume, every time he did the skirts would flare up as if in a stiff breeze forcing Malfoy to hold them down. The entire hall was roaring with laughter, Malfoy ran for it. The hall calmed down after he left, Harry turned to Fleur and the twins with a grin "That was legendary guys." The twins shook their head and one pointed at Fleur with his fork "Your wife mate, we had to stop her from adding in some silly french music that sounded very bawdy." Harry looked at Fleur with surprise, she was blushing "We have got to talk to Padfoot and Moony about moving you up from honorary Marauder."

Fred and George looked at him face plain with shock "You two know two of the actual Marauders?" Harry looked up from his plate surprised "I forgot you guys idolized them, you remember Professor Lupin from last year? He was Moony, you know the werewolf thing." George looking a little paler than usual his freckles contrasting nicely asked: "And Padfoot?" Harry thought about it for a second "He is a bit of a secret right now, we trust you and will gladly tell you. But in Hogwarts the walls have ears." The twins nodded surprisingly quickly, one muttered: "In the near future, literally."

Fleur nudged Harry "I would be glad to 'ost ze twins in our room for dinner tonight." Harry nodded and looked at the twins "Our room?" Fred asked his eyebrows waggling suggestively. "Yeah, I am waiting for someone to notice that, I am pretty sure Dumbledore and Madame Maxime know and are leaving it alone." Harry said thoughtfully "Oui, Madame Maxime cornered me on our wedding night. She was most displeased, but in France, married students are not so unusual. She accepts ze arrangement."

The rest of lunch was spent with the twins and Hermione discussing what Harry could do to get past a dragon. So far the best ideas had been finding a shrinking spell and being too small for the dragon to be bothered with, summoning his broom and out flying a bloody dragon and transfiguring a basket around whatever they needed to steal from the dragon and summoning that. They figured that the item itself would have been charmed to be unsummonable, they were not sure if it could be levitated. The food disappeared from the plates marking the end of lunch.

The twins agreed to show up to the carriage for dinner and Harry and Fleur decided to make the best of the rest of Sunday and headed outside. It was a cold windy November day, but Harry found it to be beautiful, made even more so by the company. Fleur seemed happy to cuddle into his side and walk around the grounds as long as Harry was. Companionable silence was something new to both of them but something about it just felt right.

They eventually found their feet heading for Fleur's room, mostly to warm up after the chill. Fleur pulled Harry into the room playfully she banished the door shut with a flick of her wand then wrapped her arms around him. She looked into his eyes than without warning tossed herself onto the bed backward dragging him along for the ride. He landed on top of her, his stunned look made her giggle. She stretched underneath him which made his face flush.

Harry had somehow found himself pinning Fleur to her bed with his body, as she wriggled beneath him he was trying very hard to think of Quidditch. With a mental kick he remembered he was trying to make Fleur feel loved, and maybe a part of that was desired. Harry was not sure who in their right mind would not desire the woman beneath him but he certainly did not want her thinking he did not.

He looked deeply into her sparkling sapphire eyes and kissed her gently, he watched as she slowly closed her eyes her face relaxing, her lips pushing gently back against his. He ran his hand along her side starting at her thigh and ending just above her hip which made her shiver against him. He pushed through his own insecurities and ran his hand up and under her top, his fingers splayed along her taut stomach muscles.

Her response told him he was doing the right thing as she pushed her tongue into his mouth and moaned lightly. The taste of honey almost wiped his mind blank, her hands running along his back and through his hair brought him back. He started kissing back, taking the lead their tongues danced. With the last of his built up bravery, he brushed the bottom of her bra with his fingertips then inexpertly managed to slide his hand under the fabric and grasp her bare breast.

It was like fire, the warmth was beyond amazing and something about the hard nub he found within almost drove him over the edge. He almost drew away from her when she wrapped her legs and arms around him and pulled him back his palm locked against her breast. She broke off the kiss and looked into his eyes. "Zat is wonderful 'arry. You do not 'ave to fear touching me, I will never reject you." Harry looked into her eyes searching them, his hand unconsciously starting to make small movements on her breast. "I don't want to go too fast, my hormones want me to rip off your clothes. My brain keeps screaming that I might chase you away, or hurt you by going too far and giving you a reputation."

Fleur couldn't help it she laughed, a short sharp bark of a laugh that devolved into giggles. Harry groaned and slid his hand off her breast and down to her side. "I liked zat zere." She said playfully then looked into his eyes with a more serious expression. "'Arry, we are married. Zere is no reputation of mine to protect anymore. Ze opposite is true to some degree. Others may see it as strange if we are not physically close."

She ran a hand through his hair seeming to think. "Ze others in your school, 'ow long would zey know each other before zey found some private place?" Harry looked at her for a second like it was a question that was completely unexpected than began to consider. "Not that I pay a great deal of attention but the older years seem to date for a month or two before rumors start spreading about broom closets and empty classrooms." She tried nodding with her head against the bed then giggled and pecked him on the lips.

"And 'ow long 'ave we relied on each other?" Harry thought about it for a minute "years." he breathed. Fleur gave him a dazzling smile. "'ow many of zem can claim zat?" He shrugged "I wouldn't know, not that many. Possibly none." Fleur gave him a small smirk "I can almost guarantee none 'arry, can we agree our relationship is different?" Harry slowly nodded, different than the vast majority he thought to himself.

"Good zen we decide what is right and when. We should prepare for dinner." Harry pushed himself to a standing position and helped Fleur to her feet. She started to pick up the room, just before Harry was about to start helping her she looked over her shoulder "'Arry?" He looked into her eyes and saw a mischievous light. "You are welcome to rip my clothes off at any time. Preferably in private", she winked at him. Harry's red face had her chortling the entire time they were cleaning.

'OvO'

It did not take long to make Fleur's room look presentable, just a few pieces of clothing here and there and the books they had both been using to research. Harry remembered he needed to make sure they had something to eat "Dobby?" With a pop, Harry felt a pair of tiny wiry arms wrapped around his middle. "Great master Harry Potter sir called for Dobby?" Harry patted his back awkwardly "Harry is fine Dobby, just Harry." Dobby released him and looked up at him "Of course Great master Harry sir."

Harry decided there were more important things at the moment "Dobby, we are having two friends over for dinner could you bring a table and food for us?" Harry almost got whiplash watching the little house elf nod. "Thanks, Dobby you are a good friend." Dobby let out a high pitched wail "Great master Harry sir names Dobby friend. Dobby will serve dinner." Before Harry could reply Dobby was gone with a small pop of sound.

Fleur looked at him somewhat quizzically "You treat 'ouse elves different zen any other wizard I 'ave ever seen." Harry shrugged "I was treated a lot like people seem to treat house elves, it was not fun. So I treat Dobby like I wish I had been." Fleur smiled at that looking thoughtful, she started pulling out nicer casual wear from a drawer. Going for a white silk blouse and some black trousers of a material Harry did not recognize.

She stripped off her school robes and quickly got dressed as Harry watched with interest. Her eyes checking on him surreptitiously, she was pleased to see him watching her without trying to hide it. "We need to get you some better clothes 'arry. Zose rags are not fitting, next weekend we will go to Diagon Alley." Harry thought about his clothes, the nice things he had bought to meet Fleur in years ago had long since been too small. And if he really was never to return to Privet drive there was no reason not too.

"Only problem I can see is getting permission to go Fleur." She grinned "Zen we shall not ask, we are both considered adults and are allowed to leave ze school to go to 'ogsmeade. Zere is almost no difference." Harry was pretty sure that logic wouldn't fly but decided to go along with it rather than to argue for a bit than have Fleur convince him to do it anyway.

Fleur pointed her wand at him, he watched the tip of it. The thought she would hurt him in any way never crossed his mind. She made a few interesting movements with it and transfigured his school robes into slacks and a forest green button up. "Zat will do for now and should hold for at least ze night. You look most 'andsome."

To demonstrate she walked over and pulled him into a kiss, the second their lips touched they were interrupted by a knocking at the door. Fleur gave him a quick peck on the lips and went and opened the door. The Weasley twins stood somewhat awkwardly in muggle street clothes Harry had never seen them wear. "Welcome you two, please come in."

Before she had turned around a table with four settings had appeared in the middle of the open space in her room, it was a tight fit. Harry pulled out a chair for Fleur earning him one of her dazzling smiles, he sat down next to her then watched the other two fight over who was going to seat who. The sight had Fleur giggling and Harry shaking his head. Eventually, they settled down and food appeared on the table.

Harry was somewhat surprised but the more he thought about it the more it made sense, that is how food appeared in the Great Hall and he knew house elves served them there. Before they even touched their food one of the twins, he wasn't sure which asked: "So, Padfoot?" Harry chuckled and took a bite of the salmon that had been served to him, it was delicious. "Is Sirius Black. Innocent by the way." Their widening eyes made Fleur laugh "And a charming rogue as well."

The twins looked at each other for a few moments then looked back and spoke in unison "How do you know this?" Harry leaned back in his chair "Well, he is my godfather. He broke out of Azkaban last year to catch the person who really betrayed my parents."

The explanation took the rest of dinner, the twins were more surprised that Ron had managed to keep a secret than anything else. They made Harry promise to introduce them at the earliest opportunity. Not that they thought that would be easy, him being a fugitive and all. Overall the night was pleasant and they eventually showed their guests out.

Dobby efficient as before had whisked the table away as they were saying their goodbyes. Fleur hugged him the second the door was closed "I always wondered what it would be like to 'ost others. My Maman made it look so effortless, in France, it is an expected part of being a wife." Harry kissed her "I think you did a fantastic job, not that I have any expectations of you Fleur. I simply want you to be happy."

"Being a good wife does make me 'appy. I 'ave looked up to my mother my entire life. She has always been exceptional." Fleur looked into his eyes a reflective serious tone in her voice that told Harry she was sharing a small piece of herself. He ran his fingers along her side the silk was almost as smooth as her skin. "I am sure you will be every bit as exceptional, in my opinion, you already are."

She looked pleased, the kiss he received proved that she was. "We should continue to work on our plan for ze dragons. I badly want to survive so I can continue to sleep in your arms." Harry blushed and went to grab the books that had been working on previously.

By the time it was late enough for bed it looked like Fleur had a plan "I will reduce ze amount of air around 'er with a charm, zat should already make 'er sleepy. Zen I will charm 'er to sleep. Zat should make it so any fire she tries will be suffocated. Fire needs fuel, dragons have zat, heat… also ze dragon and air. Zat is where I can strike." Harry was impressed. A completely charms solution to such a large and seemingly insurmountable problem.

"That is a great plan, I think it will work out great. And two weeks before we have to face them. Now I just need to figure something out, I think summoning will be part of it. So we should really practice that." Harry grinned and whipped out his wand "Accio Fleur's clothes." Fleur came with them shooting across the bed until she was in his lap. They both laughed, Fleur got him back with a bit of tickling that almost had him in tears.

"Well if you can summon me I would be 'appy to 'elp but I zink zat will be against ze rules." She chuckled. "Okay let's get to bed, classes tomorrow." she hopped off his lap and changed into her night things, choosing another matching set for the night. Harry stripped down to his boxers and was in bed before she was finished watching her from the back.

"Best part of my night," Harry said with a cheeky grin. She grinned and hopped into the bed and pulled the blankets over them. She snuggled into his side and ran her fingers over his chest. "We will make sure you are ready 'arry. Bon nuit."

'OvO'

The stress of preparing for the coming task and the classes during the week left Harry and Fleur with very little time. A small-scale war for the library had taken place between Fleur and Hermione, who could be surprisingly territorial. Harry was not sure what went down but Hermione had taken on the role of a research assistant, gathering books on subjects and cross-referencing for Fleur.

That weekend Harry and Fleur went into Hogsmeade hand in hand. They went into the Hogshead and used the floo to the Leaky Cauldron, Fleur planned on getting a whole new wardrobe for Harry. And if they had time maybe a surprise. They walked out into Diagon Alley and Fleur put Harry through hours of torture.

Or so Harry thought at least, he had to admit he looked a lot better. Fleur seemed to have a natural eye for colors and cuts, she spent a decent amount of time complaining that the English did not know what fashion was. After paying for Harry's new clothes and leaving the set he had worn here in a dumpster they went into a shop Harry had never noticed.

It seemed like it was full of lace, it took Harry a moment to figure out all the small lacey things were women's undergarments. He gave Fleur a terrified look that had her grinning. "I need new zings 'arry. You do like looking at me in my brassiere, non?" Harry grumbled to himself "Just as happy looking at you without." She playfully pinched him "Zat is 'ardly true. As of yet you 'ave only ze courage to peak at my nude derriere."

That started Harry blushing, one that would continue for a long while yet. She led him into a curtained-off back room with a bench, some floor space and a full-length mirror. "Stay. I will be right back." Fleur's edict had Harry sitting quietly on the bench, he leaned back and closed his eyes after a little bit. An indeterminate amount of time later Fleur poked him awake.

She had a pile of lace of various colors. "You 'ave one job 'arry. Sit still, and tell me if you like it or not." He nodded willing the blush from his face as much as possible. Fleur quickly stripped off her top layer then watched Harry in the mirror as she removed her undergarments. Her eyes watching his making sure he looked at her. For the first time, Harry took her in front and back in all her glory. She was flawless, her frame willowy but perfectly proportioned. Her breasts perfectly shaped but not overly large, her areola the same pink color of her lips were the size of half dollar coins.

Harry dragged his eyes away from her chest and saw her wink at him and give her derriere a little shake. By this point he had seen her rear a few times, it was as perfectly shaped as the rest of her. For the first time, he allowed his eyes to look at where her legs met and saw a small tuft of platinum blonde hair. She smiled at him in the mirror then spun around in a way that looked too graceful not to be some dancers move.

She took the two steps over to him and pecked him on the lips "See, you still live, non?" Harry gave a small nod "Maybe now we can be comfortable together, oui?" Harry blushed "Fleur… my…" his eyes flicked downward. Fleur laughed merrily and started to pull on her first set of lingerie she had chosen "'arry, I stripped you for a shower. I 'ave seen you, you are fine. I 'ave married you."

Harry did not argue, instead, he watched as Fleur tried on dozens of sets of lingerie. Sometimes Fleur waited for a verbal response, sometimes the widening of his eyes or the blush on his cheeks was enough for her. She ended up choosing to purchase almost half the sets she tried on. Having their clothes shopping done they went to go get ice cream, choosing the table they first met at.

They spent the time in silence staring into each other's eyes. Harry had never imagined something so simple could be so magical. They made it back to Hogsmeade just as the rest of the students were heading back, they joined the crowd not even trying to hide their bags. It was easier than Harry thought possible.

He never would have thought they could simply go hundreds of miles away from school for the day and have no one blink an eye. They felt like spending the day alone together, so they went back to the carriage and studied together in Fleur's room. Fleur had Harry practice summoning, he eventually got pretty good at it summoning things from all over the room.

With a mischievous smile, Harry started summoning pieces of clothing off Fleur which had them both laughing. When she got down to brassiere and knickers she tackled him and snogged him senseless. Before dinner, she changed into one of the new lingerie sets that had made Harry's eyes go round at the store a short flowing skirt and a silk blouse.

She laid out one of Harry's outfits and made sure he got the message. While Harry changed in the bathroom Fleur called for Dobby and made sure they would have dinner for two. When Harry came out Fleur was waiting. Harry was not sure how he had gotten so lucky, she was radiant.

Fleur pulled out a seat for him which made them both laugh. The meal was full of love and laughter, near the end Fleur asked Harry if he was sure he was confident in his summoning spells Harry had an idea. His face went blank "Earth to 'arry?" Harry slowly pulled out his wand under the table and pointed it at Fleur keeping his face still. She quirked her eyebrow at him his face blossomed into a wide grin as he said "Accio Fleur's knickers." Fleur's lacy knickers flew off her legs and spun around his wand coming to rest on his hand still warm from her body heat.

Fleur's face was priceless, a mix of shock, desire, and mirth "'Arry!" Fleur yelped, the next few moments were some of the tensest of Harry's life. The look in her eye had his legs trying to run away from her but his libido disagreed, he ended up in a pile on the floor when Fleur hit him with a flying tackle. She was surprisingly light, that did not stop her from being dangerous in other ways. Fleur yanked his shirt halfway over his head trapping him in the cloth and started to tickle him, Harry was helpless short of bucking her off of him.

Quickly the tickling turned into rapid kisses all over his chest, he heard a loud tearing noise as Fleur literally ripped his shirt off and shoved her lips against his hard enough to bruise. Harry ran his hand down her side intending to end up at her thigh but ended up with a handful of her derriere, in the moment he had forgotten what he had stripped her of. After a brief moment of such intimate contact, they both broke off and looked into each others eyes. "I want you Fleur," Harry said in a husky voice. Fleur leaned in and kissed him firmly then sat back on his hips pressing herself teasingly to him, cloth the only thing stopping him. "I know 'arry, me too. As a girl, I always dreamed it would be with someone I loved and special, something Veela can usually only dream about. Would it be asking too much of you to wait til yule? It is part of ze competition, a ball. It would be…" Harry moved his hand from her arse to her hip and gave it a squeeze "Sounds perfect."

She collapsed to his chest and snuggled against the bare skin "Zank you, eet is truly amazing I 'ave found a man willing to resist a Veela for her 'appiness." Harry chuckled which made Fleur cuddle closer "I am not resisting anything Fleur, I am going to need a cold shower in a minute if Fleur does not want to be deflowered." She barked out a short sharp laugh and slapped him on his chest playfully. "Ze dog barks loudest when zere is a fence." She stood and helped Harry to his feet, they looked into each other's eyes for a few moments until Harry hurried off to the shower.

Fleur joined him in the shower shortly after, Harry yelped and tried to hide what he had been doing. But he could not easily hide the evidence, Fleur rubbed his back till he turned around and they looked at each other she smiled and kissed him pushing him gently so they were both in the water stream. She posed "Zis what you were zinking of?" He nodded eliciting a grin from her "Well, don't let me stop you." Harry groaned flushing red "Are you sure?" She ran a finger down his chest "Oui."

The rest of the shower was pleasant, Harry had never had such a present muse for what he internally called his private time. Fleur seemed fascinated with the process having only heard of it from her version of the talk. Harry enjoyed washing Fleur's hair, working the lather into her silky tresses was almost meditative. She seemed to enjoy being pampered as well. Harry was almost sad it had to end, they wrapped each other in large fluffy towels and laid on the bed together.

"Zat was most enjoyable, you are 'ired." Harry looked at her with an eyebrow raised "As my 'air washer. I will require your presence in all my showers from now on." Fleur stated with a regal air her nose stuck in the air. "I believe that is a possibility Madame, there is the matter of my pay." Fleur turned on her side and grinned mischievously at him "Oh I do believe you will work for credit, for now, Monsieur Potter. You will be paid in full at a later date." The tone in Fleur's voice made Harry shiver and Fleur chuckle.

Fleur stood and dropped her towels in a pile on the floor then slid into the bed looking expectantly at Harry, he slowly did the same his face an interesting shade of red as he settled in next to her "I wonder when ze blushing will fade, it is cute. But you should not be embarrassed around me 'arry." He looked into her eyes for a moment considering whether he should be bold, he was not a Gryffindor for nothing "It is not really what is going on at the moment that has me blushing Fleur, you have never been in the mind of a teenage boy. It is whats going on in there that has me blushing." Fleur looked pensive then cuddled up to his side, her warm bare flesh touching his made him tingle. "Zen boys are not ze only ones, I too have desires and fantasies. We will get to zose in time, everything seems to be happening faster zan a racing broom. But it feels right, non?"

Harry wrapped an arm around her running his fingers along her back "Very right Fleur, I feel like I have loved you since that first letter. Like we can trace our relationship back to that day and say we have been together for almost four years. I know we had only met once, and we wrote letters but I still can not help but feel that our getting married was only the beginning of our physical relationship." Fleur listened to his heartbeat for a while before speaking "I zink you are right 'arry, when other couples meet zey must develop trust and knowledge of each other. I 'ad long ago trusted you completely and I feel I know you better zen anyone. You definitely know me better zen anyone but my family."

Harry mumbled his agreeance and shimmied into a more comfortable sleeping position. Fleur placed one leg over his and snuggled into his side. She knew she was lucky to have Harry, she also knew Harry thought he was the one getting the most out of their marriage. From a teen boy perspective, a gorgeous woman showing up and offering herself to you completely was a dream. But what he did not understand is what he had rescued Fleur from, a Veela finding true love was a difficult thing. Having a body most women would kill for and the allure to make men forget themselves and desire for no other reason then the magic it held was a curse far more than it was a blessing.

It was impossible for Veela to know whether a man truly loved them. Many only found out after they were already married and made into trophy wives, which at least was better then what else commonly befell Veela. Whores or mistresses, shunned by society and treated like nothing more than meat. Harry had loved her before he even knew what Veela was, had loved her when she was stuck in her pre-matured body. Harry did not know that it meant everything to her, she would show him she thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, mores the pity.**

 **A/N: Making a surprise international move, so my writing has been more interrupted then it has been in the past. This has lead to me losing my place a few times in the continuity. I believe I hunted them all down and corrected them. I hope you all continue to enjoy my efforts, writing my own story has been most enlightening. I always looked for a story to match what I thought should happen, being able to write it that way has been oddly like reading my perfect story.**

Barty Crouch Junior waddled through the halls of Hogwarts the damnable wooden leg chafing was a hell he would wish on no man. It was getting on his last nerve, luckily for him, it was looking like getting the Potter kid through the tournament may not be the trial he thought it would be. "Longbottom stay after class." The pudgy little squid looked terrified of the very idea "Coward." Barty grumbled with his Moody voice. No one seemed to notice and the boy waited looking like he was going to be sent off to fight a dragon without a wand. "You are Alice and Franks boy aren't you?" the mention of his parents seemed to put some nerve back into the boy "Yes, sir."

Barty nodded, and pulled out a large book he had bought just for the occasion, it contained at least four different magical plants that could aid someone in the tournament. "Professor Sprout said you were quite a promising herbology student, an underrated field if there ever was one lad," he growled out. "Thank you, sir," the boy managed to at least not stutter Barty thought. He stuck out the large book "Perhaps this could be useful to someone with your talents, I found it left over from the last professor that held this post."

Neville took it from his hands and in a quavery voice "Thank you, sir, I am sure it will be interesting. I should go to my next class." The boy almost ran out of the class, Barty knew he had nothing after this class. At least the kid had enough vinegar to lie, seems apples can fall far from the tree. His parents stood up under his wand for hours before they cracked, those were the days.

'OvO'

Fred and George sat at the one non destroyed desk in their lab "Cross that one out George, we can't have people betting on if Harry is going to die or how quick it will be." George frowned at the paper hesitating to put a line through it "Malfoy offered a hundred galleons he would not live five minutes." Fred slowly nodded "Maybe if we split it with Harrikins, leave it on then. It is worth taking money from that wanker." George nodded and put the final flourishes on the paper "May have taken us away from our inventions for far too long brother but it will be worth it."

Fred nodded absently and picked up a half rubber chicken half wand "We do need more cash brother mine. Maybe we should look for investors, Malfoy is not the only one in school from a rich family." George pulled out a second piece of parchment "Okay, who do we have." Fred started listing off people as George wrote "Harry for one, mum said his vault was stuffed, Fleur's clothes look far from cheap. Neville Longbottom, but his Gran's probably got the whole thing locked down tight. The Greengrass sisters, heard their pops a bastard though. Susan Bones, her aunt works in law enforcement but we aren't doing anything illegal. Sue Li, heard her family has big business in magical Tokyo. And… the Patil twins, old money from India I think."

George leaned back in his chair and looked it over "From a business perspective having Li, the Patil's and Harry on board could provide us a solid foundation of contacts. I think the Delacour's are big in France as well." Fred nodded slowly in thought "We are at the seed money phase, nothing to show. Going to take a good friend or a lot of faith for any real money. Maybe stage we approach each at a different stage?" George stood and started to walk out, Fred fell in beside him "Harry?" George nodded and answered "The Potters."

'OvO'

The twins found Harry casting spells at a rock next to the lake, Fleur reading a book against a nearby tree. The two looked a bit stressed, "Tomorrow's the task, you two ready?" Harry spun around his wand still lit with magenta light "Merlin, you two…" He sagged in exhaustion and plopped down next to Fleur, she patted his leg. "What can we do for ze terrible two," she marked her page and closed it looking at them.

They both started talking at the same time, looked at each other briefly then promptly started talking at the same time again. Fleur started giggling, Harry was smirking at them. George pushed Fred then started talking in a far more serious tone than Harry thought was possible "We have a favor, or business opportunity depending on how you look at it. We have been planning a joke shop for years. You have helped us with it a bit Harry and we were not joking when we offered Fleur a spot. We have all sorts of inventions or ideas for inventions. Half-baked ideas as well." George took over "The problem is we get money here and there by selling small things or running bets on the side. By the way Harry we are taking bets on you dying, mainly just to take peoples money when they are wrong you can have half if you want." Harry shook his head "No it is fine, don't worry about it."

George nodded and continued "So we basically we need more money all at once, small amounts over time is making everything take ages. We made a list of possible investors but we think the others will want to see more before taking us seriously." Fleur looked at Harry and mumbled "You do 'ave full access now, Papa always says investing in friends is tricky. Treat it as a gift and expect nothing in return or not at all." Harry looked thoughtful "How much are you guys asking for? And how exactly would it work?"

"Fleur mentioned you two going into inventing stuff together, maybe we could be partners? All of us I mean, fifty fifty. We wait on taking any profit til we pay off your investment." Harry nodded and looked at Fleur "Could work, zere are companies zat do different zings." Harry pecked her on the lips and turned to the twins "How much do you guys want? Actually… Does anyone know if wizards open up business vaults?" Fleur slowly nodded "I zink I know what you mean 'arry. We could put some money into a vault zat we all 'ave access to but we control til it goes above the starting investment. Ze goblins could set such up, we would 'ave to go in person, all of us."

Harry nodded "Just what I was thinking Fleur, would that work guys? I could put five thousand galleons in there, would that help?" The twins crumpled less than gracefully to the ground "Bloody hell Harry, yeah. That should do it, we could start a mail order business with that. And more, when we graduate next year it is enough for a storefront and employees and and…" George petered off and Fred pinched him. "Ow, right. I doubt we will need anywhere close to that, but better safe than sorry I guess. Are you two sure? That is a lot of money to trust us with."

Fleur gave them a dazzling smile that had them both blinking owlishly "Friends 'elp friends. Working with you two for ze rest of our lives sounds like a dream to me." Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it "Make that us, we would be proud to go into business with you guys. Working with friends sounds great. I can not imagine a better way to live life than to be surrounded by friends every single day. The twins tackled the pair in a flying hug that had everyone laughing.

'OvO'

Fleur and Harry sat in the tent awaiting their turn with the dragons. The two they had drawn made threatening motions towards each other from their respective laps. Fleur had a death grip on Harry's hand and he had his lips pressed gently against her forehead. After far too short of a time Fleur's name was called, she stood and straightened her robes and pushed the wrinkles out of the Quidditch trousers she had borrowed from Harry. "I will be fine 'arry. I will save you a seat." She winked at him and gave him a brief but passionate kiss "See you on the other side mon amour," Harry managed to say before she walked out. Harry thought she looked like a gladiator, in many ways she was.

Fleur walked out of the tent into the arena, she could see the welsh green she had chosen hunched over a clutch of eggs. Her target was pretty obvious, a gold egg stuck out like a sore thumb. That did not stop the mother from defending it all the same. She raised her wand and started the intricate motions she needed for the charm to reduce the air around her target, she felt the pull on her power that told her she was successful "Not sure what spell was just used but it appears Mrs. Potter has begun her efforts." The voice of Ludo Bagman came to her faintly, she also heard the crowd somewhere in the background.

She confidently walked closer to the dragon, it slowly raised its head and blinked slowly at her. "Cantis" She cried as loud as she could, a soothing lullaby came out of the very air. Fleur knew she did not have long so the second she saw the dragons eyelids cover its pupils she ran for the egg at full tilt. She felt the hot air of its breath as it let out a sigh as she snatched the egg out of the nest, a small spark she knew would have been larger if there was much air nearly hit her.

She tried to take a deep breath to make the return trip and almost gasped as her head spun "Stupid, stupid stupid." She muttered under her breath and pushed for everything she had left wobbling away from the dragon starting to feel woozy, then it came to her. She released the charm reducing the air and inhaled deeply as she felt wind blow past her face again. One last roar behind her sent her scrambling for the exit, she stumbled into the medical tent and collapsed into a chair and started taking deep soothing breaths.

'OvO'

Sitting until last had been almost torture for Harry, Fleur's turn had been the worst. Listening to the crowd's reaction had been somewhat reassuring. They had only gasped once and it only took minutes for them to cheer and for Viktor to be called. Viktor's time out there had lead to much more gasping and groans from the crowd, Harry suspected he may have been injured.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity he heard his name, he stood brushed himself off and walked into the arena. In one corner he saw his dragon, a massive black beast that was covered with ridges and spines. He could see the famous tail spikes gleaming in the muted November sunlight. He also spotted the golden egg, taking a deep breath he raised his wand and tried transfiguring a basket around the egg. Something seemed to resist the spell.

Harry dived behind a large nearby boulder as flames washed around it. Peaking out he aimed at the egg in desperation "Wingardium Leviosa!" The golden egg shot into the air then fell back into the nest with a resounding thunk. Harry grinned as an idea hit him.

"Accio Firebolt!" After a few heart-pounding moments of hiding and waiting while he heard nervous laughter from the crowd his Fire Bolt shot into the arena. Harry mounted it mid-air, correcting his grip and his seating mid-flight was a little tricky but Harry didn't want to give the dragon a second to think. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He cried again, the egg shooting high into the air.

Harry dove for it as it reached its apogee, the egg was slowly falling back towards the dragon. Harry poured on every bit of speed in his trusty broom, he let go of his broom with both hands controlling it with his legs. An enraged roar and an inhale told him he had seconds, he snagged the egg and twist his entire body to the left. Heat washed over him as a gigantic plume of fire missed him by inches, the updraft sent him spinning.

Harry shoved the egg under one arm and used the other to gain control over his broom. It wasn't enough, the broom went into a series of barrel rolls. Harry was nearing the ground just as he managed to turn the rolls into a forward flip at dangerous speeds. He was thrown from his broom, his hands pinwheeling over his head. Sheer luck had his hand connect with his broom, he hung on for dear life.

His feet hit the ground running and Harry managed to jog into a stop bringing his broom to his side. The crowd went wild "Harry Potter has retrieved his egg uninjured and the second fastest! Incredible flying, the trick flying at the end was as breathtaking as it was suicidal." Ludo Bagman's voice reverberated through the arena, Harry smirked at him implying his tailspin at the end was in anyway intentional.

Harry stumbled into the medical tent and was immediately hit by a platinum blonde missile, Harry lifted her in his arms and spun her around "I am okay Fleur, are you injured?" He mumbled his face buried in her hair. "Non, 'arry my plan worked perfectly." He set her down and pulled her into a kiss.

Someone loudly cleared their throat behind them. Harry took a few seconds longer to finish properly snogging Fleur then looked around. "Harry, mate you could have died with that stunt. What were you thinking?" Ron looked a little pale, Hermione was behind him by enough to make it unclear if they were together or not.

"According to you for the past month probably just attention seeking." Ron's face matched his hair in the blink of an eye, he opened his mouth then closed it then looked around as if for help. Fleur decided his time was up and pulled Harry towards Hermione leaving their backs facing Ron "What did 'arry do out zere 'ermione?"

Hermione's face lit up as she started speaking at a rapid pace "It was amazing Fleur, at first it looked like he was not doing anything then…" she cut off suddenly and dove for Harry pushing him into Fleur just as Ron's fist flew past. Hermione caught a glancing blow to the side of the head. Hermione sat on the ground holding the side of her head with one hand looking at Ron in shock while Harry and Fleur disentangled themselves.

"I came in here to tell you I believe you about not entering yourself. Turns out you're still an arse." Ron shouted his volume growing with every word. Hermione popped up from the ground and punched Ron square in the nose setting him on his arse. "I don't want to see hide nor hair of you Ronald Weasley until you have apologies for everyone here."

The glare leveled at Ron would have set him on fire if that was at all possible. Harry stared in shock at Hermione, as did Ron Harry noticed out of the corner of his eye. Fleur standing and offering Harry a hand to his feet broke the tension of the moment and Ron scurried out the tent. Hermione shook off her fist looking at her two split knuckles and turned back to Fleur.

"Then he summoned his Firebolt…" Harry burst out laughing. "Merlin Hermione, you just cold-cocked Ron and went right back to talking. Take a moment, let Madame Pomfrey look at your hand." Hermione tilted her head to the side for a second "Go get your hand tended to 'ermione, you can tell me more over dinner tonight. Would you like to come eat with us in ze carriage?"

Hermione nodded "I will meet you guys there just before dinner then." She turned on her heel and went over to Madame Pomfrey who had recently finished with the injuries caused by the day's events. Fleur grabbed Harry's hand and led him over to the far side of the tent away from the entrance that stood near the stands and the exit that lead to the arena. She lifted up the side and they both ducked under it and looked around.

At the entrance, they saw a small gaggle of people, some that looked suspiciously like the press. "Our room sounds very good right now," Fleur's twinkling eyes were all the convincing Harry needed. He grinned at her and pulled out his wand and cast "Silencio" on their feet. The two of them quietly went to celebrate their survival.

'OvO'

Hermione knocked nervously at the door of Fleur's room, she had dressed nicely unsure of what was appropriate. She waited for what felt like a few minutes and was about to raise her hand to knock again when Harry answered the door, his face was flushed and his shirt slightly off-kilter. "Hermione come in," he pulled the door back enough for her to step inside to the room. A table took up most of the free space, she did not see Fleur anywhere.

"Where's Fleur?" Harry rubbed the back of his neck and pulled out a chair for her "She is getting dressed in the bathroom." Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him as she sat down and scooted herself in. Harry just blushed, Fleur came into the room seconds later closing the door behind her "'ermione! You must zink I am a terrible 'ostess. 'Arry wrinkled my previous outfit." Harry pulled out a seat for Fleur and glared at her which only made her laugh.

Hermione smiled faintly at the pair, she was unsurprised when food appeared on her plate. "Fleur you wanted to hear about how Harry did? Or did he already tell you?" Fleur chuckled and shook her head "We were too busy to discuss 'ow we did. I wonder what score we got…" Hermione looked surprised "You left before you received your scores?" Harry and Fleur shrugged.

"Oh, well Harry summoned his broom after seeing he could levitate the egg and grabbed it out of the air. It was impressive flying, he almost got hit by the dragon's breath but dodged it. His dismount of the broom almost made me ill. He spun around a few times flew off but somehow managed to walk away…" Harry chuckled, the women at the table glared at him.

Harry's smile faded "I lost control, was sheer luck I managed to land like I did." Hermione shook her head exasperated and Fleur rubbed his shoulder. "Well mine was less exciting, my spells worked. A little too well, I almost ran out of air to run away from the dragon. Canceled the charm and managed to get out unharmed." Harry squeezed her thigh.

Hermione had watched them closely "You two act like you have been together for years, it's been less than a month." Fleur smiled at Hermione "We 'ave been writing to each other for years, almost four now. 'Arry was my only friend for zose years." Harry kissed Fleur on the cheek and mumbled something Hermione didn't catch into her ear "Fleur and I have been writing since the summer before my first year, she was my first friend. The only person who has ever loved me…" Harry blushed and stopped talking.

Hermione was taken aback "I love you, Harry, your my best friend." Harry looked surprised, he stood and walked around the table and pulled Hermione into a hug "Love you too Hermione." Fleur watched the pair with amusement dancing in her eyes "'Arry's getting in touch with 'is emotions." Hermione chuckled gave Harry a squeeze and sat back down to the meal.

Harry went back to his seat and sat down with a sigh "What in Merlin's name happened with Ron?" Hermione shrugged "He has been in his brother's shadow for so long, I think getting a friend like you probably was not the best for him. He is mad he never gets attention, but is unwilling to do anything positive to get it." Harry slowly nodded "Well if he ever pulls his head out of his arse and apologizes to both of us…"

Hermione smiled at him "Oh, Harry you don't have to hinge your friendship on me." Harry just shook his head "Hermione it is important to me. I do not have many friends, I can't afford to treat the ones I do have badly." Hermione grinned at Harry.

The rest of the meal was pleasant, Fleur invited Hermione to spend time in France any time she wished. They showed her the door well before curfew so Hermione could review her homework. As the door closed Fleur started removing clothes at an impressive rate. Harry shrugged and followed her example.

She smiled at him once she was done and did a pirouette slowly "See no injuries," Fleur declared then spun a finger in a circle. Harry mimicked her spin as Fleur came over and wrapped him in a hug she could feel his heartbeat against her chest. "Two more to go 'arry. Zen we are going to live a long and 'appy life." Harry led her to the bed and they got in together, he rolled on top of her and they began to make out.

His hips began to move against hers and she broke off the kiss "Just a little longer Mon amour, but from here to zere is not far." She gently pushed him off her. She slid under the blankets and took him into her mouth for the first time.

'OvO'

Harry woke up the next morning with the urge to do something for Fleur. Sliding carefully out of the bed he snuck into the ensuite and whispered for Dobby. He slapped a hand over Dobby's mouth the second he appeared and whispered into his ear until Dobby started to nod. Harry mouthed thank you to him, a few minutes later he had a large bed tray full of simple breakfast foods he had seen Fleur favor.

He leaned over her and kissed her on the forehead, she smiled in her sleep. His heart swelled as he looked at her, she was far more than he deserved. Another kiss to her forehead and a whispered "Fleur" into her ear had her stirring. Her eyes opened and found his "Breakfast in bed 'arry? I 'ad 'eard it made men 'appy but not about zese rewards."

Harry blushed and set the tray down over her lap and set down next to her, he pulled her into a kiss and gently squeezed her hip. "I just wanted to thank you for being you." She chuckled, having her own private opinion what the thank you was for. "We should get ze twins and 'ead to Gringotts. Ze sooner ze better." Harry nodded and began to eat along with her, between the two of them they quickly finished the tray. As the last piece of food was eaten the tray popped away "Remind me to get Dobby a present, he is brilliant."

Fleur smiled and pushed him gently "Can you grab me some knickers 'arry?" Harry nodded and slowly walked over to her closet where she had hung some of the more expensive pieces they had bought for her. He heard a chuckle from behind him as he pulled out the sexiest ones he could find and tossed it towards her "Now I know your favorite, non?" Harry looked briefly surprised then started to get dressed for the day grumbling "Sneaky wives, why does no one ever warn a guy?" Fleur's merry laugh rolled through the room as they got dressed then headed outside to find the twins.

'OvO'

They had found the twins heading to Hogsmeade for the day and the group quickly went through the floo at the Hogshead and made their way to the Gringotts. Setting up the business vault they had discussed took the better part of the morning. Harry and Fleur spent the rest of the day hand in hand following Fred and George around Diagon Alley as they bought all sorts of strange and esoteric things. Top of the line brewing equipment and protective gear were items Harry and Fleur insisted on.

" We have always just used whatever we could find around the castle guys, you would be surprised what people throw away." Fleur shook her head vigorously pushing a silver lined cauldron into George's arms "And 'ow many times 'ave you gotten injured or had something go bad because ze equipment you use?" George looked embarrassed and Fred muttered "Only one or two times…" George added "A day…" Fleur nodded as if that was expected and started to throw the dragon skin gloves, aprons, and industrial strength cleaner into the cauldron.

"We would like to 'ave you two as friends for years to come, if a little money will assure zat zen it is money well spent." Harry was happy to let Fleur rein them in while he went around the store looking at silver coated daggers for cutting, one that claimed to provide perfect cuts automatically. He tossed that into the cauldron with the rest of the gear and went to look at an ever-burning log that made it so the brewer did not have to keep adding fuel, apparently not all potions could be brewed over magical fire. Though with a magical ever-burning log providing the fire Harry was unsure where the line was drawn.

They had the apothecary hold their purchases for them when the pile grew too large. They went to the trunk store and invested almost a quarter of their business investment money into a trunk that had four large well-protected rooms built into it, Harry even insisted it had two small bedrooms and a bathroom added. If needed the twins could live in the trunk as long as they had food, they could do everything they needed for their business without ever leaving their dorm room simply by going into their trunk. The soundproofing on it ensured that Mrs. Weasley would not stop them while they were at home.

"Harry that trunk was entirely too expensive…" George said while looking lovingly at the trunk. "Guys, it increases how much time you can spend working on your projects right?" Harry said confident this was a good purchase. Fred nodded vigorously "We do spend a good deal of time sneaking off to the classroom we use, and at home, mum will only leave us alone for so many explosions." Fleur murmured "Explosions..." and shook her head "You two are a special brand of crazy." George piped up "Fun crazy though, right?"

'OvO'

The dinner meal was winding down, Harry and Fleur had sat with what seemed to be their new group of friends. The Quidditch team and Hermione, Harry reflected that his last year would be pretty lonely by that point he would only have Hermione. But the years beyond were looking more and more bright, in his mind's eye, he saw a large extended family of honorary aunts and uncles to adorable platinum blonde haired girls and raven-haired boys. Harry turned and kissed Fleur on the cheek, grateful she had given him hope for the future.

She turned and gave him a quizzical smile as Dumbledore stood to address the school, Harry mouthed "Later" at her and received a nod in turn. "Part of the Triwizard tournament is the traditional Yule Ball, we will be holding it here at Hogwarts on Christmas day. All students fourth year and up are invited, younger students can attend if they are escorted by a student of fourth year or higher." Dumbledore paused and looked around the room with a serious expression "We expect you all to be on your best behavior, dancing lessons will be offered by Professor Trelawney in the Great Hall every Wednesday after the dinner meal until the Ball."

"To the gentlemen I suggest you find a date early, putting such things off is seldom a good idea. With that out of the way I wish you all a good night." Dumbledore sat down as conversation filled the Great Hall. Fred and George turned and looked at Angelina and Alicia "So, Ball?" The girls looked at each other sharing a brief unsaid conversation then smiled at the twins "Sure, why not. We expect as many dances as we can get and flowers." The twins grinned and waggled their eyebrows at the pair "Can do ladies fair," they said in unison making those in hearing range chuckle.

Harry and Fleur stood from the table after giving their good nights and headed for the door, halfway there an older looking Ravenclaw stood from his table and blocked their way. He gave a bow to Fleur "Roger Davies, I would be honored if you would accompany me to the Yule Ball." Harry looked at Fleur who looked slightly stunned "I am 'olding my 'usbands 'and… and yet you still ask me to be your date?" Roger snorted looking at Harry like a particularly interesting slug "A real man does not buy a bride. I can free you from his attentions, the night will be most pleasurable for you."

Fleur drew herself up, her allure coming off her in her anger. Harry thought she looked like an avenging angel or a Valkyrie, he made a mental note to never piss off Fleur. "I asked 'arry to marry me," her voice loud and clear as a bell. She glared at Roger down her nose and swept past him dragging Harry along, Harry could see a good portion of the hall had glazed eyes and watch Fleur go. Before they made it to the door Ron lept from the end of the Gryffindor table and almost screamed at Fleur "Will you go to the ball with me?" The look of disgust on Fleurs face was plain to Harry, Fleur released his hand and ran from the hall.

Harry gave Ron a disgusted look, his eyes were still glazed over and drool ran down his chin. At least it was not completely Ron's fault, apparently not many could resist Fleur's allure. Not that she needed it to attract attention Harry thought to himself as he took off after her. He almost caught up to her as she entered the carriage and was just in time to see her door slam, he heard loud wailing sobs from the room as he approached it. He was completely out of his depth, unsure what to do he rested his forehead on the door regaining his breath. Each wracking sob from the other side of the door tore at his heart.

Each time he had almost belt up the courage to enter the room and sob was heard from inside and made him hesitate. She had held him and comforted him at his worst, Harry steeled his nerves and pushed open the door. Harry saw Fleur curled up on the bed in the fetal position, her cries and reduced for the moment. Harry had never really had to comfort anyone, so he mentally went right to his only experience. He walked into the ensuite and turned the shower on to a comfortable temperature then went and picked up Fleur in a bridal carry. She sniffled against his chest grabbing the front of his robes and quivered against him.

He kicked off his shoes and carried her into the shower and settled down to the bottom of the tub letting the warm water wash over them both. He rocked her gently holding her against him and kissing the top of her head every once in awhile. After awhile Fleur calmed down and gently kissed Harry's neck she mumbled something against his skin and kissed up his neck getting increasingly demanding. She caught his lips, the kiss was hard and passionate.

Harry rubbed her sides as she quickly stripped off her robes, Harry helped her pull the sodden garment off as Fleur pulled Harry's shirt over his head. She went back to kissing him passionately her hands tugging at his pants till she managed to free him from their confines. With a few strokes, she had him ready and was reaching down under her skirts when Harry realized what she was doing "Fleur, stop. We are waiting for after the Yule Ball." She looked into his eyes, Harry had never seen such fire in her sapphire depths "I need you 'arry, I need to be yours and for you to be mine." He felt the heat of her core against him, a matter of centimeters separating them.

Harry's ability to reason was quickly eroding "Are you sure? You wanted it to be special…" Fleur kissed him once more keeping her eyes open and locked on his moving her hips against his. "You are my 'usband every time will be special." She shifted herself and sunk slowly onto him. The water poured over them as they consummated their marriage, it was slow, loving and passionate. After what felt like an eternity in which the two of them became one with gentle caresses and murmured declarations of love and devotion they split apart and stood in the shower and removed what little clothing they still wore. Harry held Fleur against him and they swayed under the beating water of the shower.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Still Don't own Harry Potter.**

 **A/N: The last week has been hectic, I had to sell my house in 8 days to move half way around the world. I am not 100% happy with everything here but I still feel good enough about it to progress. I hope you all enjoy it. Now that the hardest parts of my move are out of the way the rest will be much more focused.**

Fleur awoke wrapped in Harry's arms. She rarely woke first, she luxuriated in the simple pleasure of being warm and safe. The feel of his breathing against her back was something she never knew she needed so badly, wanted for the rest of her life. As carefully as she could manage she turned around to look at him.

Her stirring had not quite awoken him but his breathing was less shallow. The moment would soon pass of its own accord, she would have many more she decided and leaned slowly towards him. She felt his arms tighten around her and pull her until she was on top of him. "Morning flower," Harry gave her a lopsided grin and chuckled.

She rolled her eyes and kissed him, he replied in kind. She felt his hand slide down her side "Non, we 'ave to get up for class." Harry smiled at her and flipped her onto her back "It's Sunday."

'OvO'

Harry and Fleur walked into the Great Hall arm in arm, their smiles lighting up their faces. They sat next to Hermione and started serving themselves large portions. "Hungry?" Hermione asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Yeah, missed breakfast. Slept in." Fleur laughed and playfully pushed Harry's shoulder "I would 'ardly call zat sleeping."

Hermione looked confused for a moment then blushed "You two aren't… you are! You can't do that at school!" Fleur had an amused smile as she arched her eyebrow "Can't do what 'ermione? Sleep together? We are married." Hermione looked like she was trying to work out which of the two meanings Fleur had used.

Hermione's mouth worked for a few moments without sound coming out before Fleur took pity on her "'ermione what 'appens in our bedroom is no one's concern but our own. I promise you no one was 'urt." Harry's nod of agreeance seemed to be enough for Hermione to move on "How are you handling being asked out for the Yule Ball? You might want to ask her Harry before someone else gives it another go."

Harry looked perplexed "We are married, do I have to ask?" Hermione gave Harry an odd look that made Fleur chuckle "Non, 'arry. It should be assumed we are going together." Fleur said to Harry bumping his shoulder with hers gently "And 'arry 'elped me a great deal last night dealing with ze… inquiries. I will admit it is 'ard to be treated like nothing but a toy to be taken off ze shelf and played with."

Hermione's slow nod and thoughtful expression was one Harry recognized. She was considering something she had not before "It must be hard to be a Veela. All I saw was a gorgeous woman, that I would kill to be half as beautiful as. I had not considered the price." Fleur reached across the table and squeezed Hermione's hand "You are every bit as beautiful as I am, we will get ready for ze ball together. I will show you." Hermione's smile was worth getting out of the bed and coming in for lunch.

The second Harry saw Fred and George enter the hall he kissed Fleur on the cheek "Be back later, me and the twins have something that needs done." Fleur shook her head ruefully and looked at Hermione as Harry pushed the twins back out of the hall "Men…" Hermione couldn't help but giggle.

'OvO'

Fleur and Hermione spent the time until dinner in the library, they did not find much that would explain the egg. It seemed to be large, egg-shaped and golden. And no amount of research provided any amount of information beyond that. They headed down to the meal together and were surprised to see Harry and the twins already sitting down.

Fleur slid into the seat next to Harry and kissed his cheek "Where 'ave you been?" Harry's mischievous smile looked like it may cross the line into malicious "Arranging tonight's entertainment." She looked at him suspiciously then started serving herself from one of the English dishes "Finally coming over to our side?" Harry inquired "Non, I stand by my initial assessment. English food is too 'eavy, but if I am to be your wife I will 'ave to serve it sometime. Best to know what it should taste like. Either zat or I introduce you to the superior French food zis summer and 'ope you never want anything else."

Harry chuckled and was about to say something when Fred poked him with a fork and pointed discreetly over his shoulder. Harry and Fleur turned in their seat, Fleur followed his line of sight and saw Roger Davies about to start eating. They watched his fork raise to his mouth slowly, then his first bite. As he chewed he went white as a sheet then started to projectile vomit, Fred muttered "Stage one…" Hermione looked at him with a shocked expression "There's more?" Fred nodded slowly "Never mess with Fleur."

Those sitting around Roger were quickly pushing away from him, a foul smell filled the hall sending people running away making retching sounds. A thick brown pool was spreading from beneath Roger, George whispered "Double Dragon. Harry, that may have been a bit overboard." Harry shrugged and stood offering Fleur a hand to stand "Dinner in our room? Seems like a poor place to eat at the moment." Fleur took his hand to get up and turned to the rest "Hermione you're most welcome to join us. Fred, George, Please invite ze rest of ze team. We will make room."

She pinched her nose shut daintily and led Harry from the room, they were near the back of the exodus as people pushed to escape. They could hear the teachers trying to demand from passing students that they fetch Madame Pomfrey. Fleur quickly walked them back to their room in the carriage, Harry had never seen her face so wooden. The second the door was closed she turned on him "Zat was uncalled for 'arry. You could of 'urt 'im."

Harry said in a heated voice "So what? He hurt you, and no one gets away with that." Fleur's contenance softened as she looked into his eyes that were hard and bright "I do not need you to fight my battles 'arry. At least discuss ze plan with me so ze punishment fits ze crime." Harry did not back down "It did fit the crime, he had you in here crying Fleur." Fleur wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him into a kiss, slowly he relaxed. After she felt the tension go out from him she let him pull back and looked into his eyes "Promise, we fight our battles together, I will never stop you doing something you must do. But I want to be zere to 'elp and give my opinions. We are a team, Oui?"

Harry let out a long breath "Promise. Sorry, Fleur." She smiled at him and rubbed his arm "Merci, 'arry. For apologizing and for defending me, it was sweet. Over ze top, but sweet." He chuckled and kissed her pushing her back towards the bed. "I 'ave created a monster. We 'ave guests showing any moment." Harry laughed and went to get ready while Fleur called for Dobby and expanded their little room magically. Fleur finished up and grabbed some nice clothes to change into, pushing open the bathroom door she caught Harry just pulling on his pants and let out a long wolf whistle.

Harry's face went red and Fleur almost fell to the ground laughing "Your face 'arry…" she managed to get out between gasps. Harry set down on the edge of the tub once he got his pants up and watched her "You should watch ze door 'arry zey may be here any moment." Harry winked at her "Then you should hurry up and change." She shook her head and changed quickly, each movement punctuated by a wolf whistle from Harry that made her giggle. Just as she was about to pull on her bra they both heard a knock on the door.

Harry stood and walked past her to get it briefly fondling her breasts making Fleur squawk with indignation and Harry chuckle. He closed the bathroom door behind him and opened the door revealing the whole Quidditch team and Hermione, the girls looked irritated "We hear our hair smelling of arse is your fault Potter." Angelina marched in poking him in the chest making him retreat "If you were not providing a safe place to actually have dinner that would be a capital offense." Fleur poked her head out of the bathroom "Ladies, you are welcome to freshen up in 'ere before ze meal."

The grateful looks Fleur received were a counterpoint to the glares Harry got as the rest of the women filed into the room." Harry was left alone with the twins and Katie Bell, Harry quirked an eyebrow at Katie "I had not made it down to dinner yet, the rush of people leaving the hall almost trampled me though." Harry and the twins chuckled at her harried look as she mimed almost being run down. George looked at Harry with the same look he got when he was asking if someone got in trouble with Mrs. Weasley "Fleur didn't go too hard on you did she?"

The bathroom door opened and the four ladies came out looking slightly damp, If Harry did not know better he would have thought they all had washed their hair. Harry sidled closer to George and mumbled: "She was a little mad, worked it out though." Fred looked at him skeptically, clasped his shoulder and leaned in to whisper "Watch out for women Harry, you think they let something go then they bring it back up when you least expect it." Harry gave him a weak smile, he did not think Fleur was the type to do any such thing.

Between the twins and Harry, they managed to quickly seat all of the girls. They then took their seats next to their prospective dates for the Yule Ball. Dobby appeared with a pop "Master Harry Sir, the kitchens are very busy. We's are having to clean the Great Hall and serve again with fresh food. Dobby can get you food from elsewhere maybe if Dobby had money." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of galleons "No problem Dobby, the best food you can manage okay?" Dobby nodded his head quickly and disappeared with a pop "Harry, you can't just give a house elf upwards of fifty galleons and tell them to find the best food they can…" Alicia looked a little green at the concept.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at her as he sat down "They will spend it all assuming you meant for them too…" Alicia finished lamely. Harry shrugged "Who wouldn't consider a dinner with friends worth that?" Hermione just shook her head with a small smile playing across her lips "Only Harry would consider his friends worth more than any amount of money. I do not think it even registers to him that was enough to rent a room in London for a month." Harry looked a little shocked then just smiled "Ought to be pretty good then right?"

The group just laughed and the conversation began, no one was sure when their glasses filled with Butterbeer but they found themselves drinking and laughing together. Dobby popped back in shortly after carrying a tray almost as large as he was. He set down a huge filet of swordfish prepared in a way none of them had seen "Master Harry Sir, Dobby found just the right thing. A master chefsies agreed to prepare his best dish, he said he had many stars." Fleur shook her head with a rueful chuckle seeming to understand what the little elf was talking about.

The others simply served themselves, it was amazing. They ate and talked late into the night, eventually, Katie cast "Tempus" and everyone looked at the time hovering over her wand. "Shit," Angelina muttered, "There's no way we are all getting back to the tower without being seen." Harry stood and went to his trunk and pulled out the Marauders map "Guys, I assume you can manage?" The twins stood slowly and snapped off a salute "Yes sir, Master Harry sir." The two managed to do a passable imitation of Dobby.

Once everyone made their goodbyes and they helped Dobby clear the room Fleur and Harry flopped onto the bed. "Sorry about earlier Fleur, we are a team. I wouldn't want it any other way." Fleur turned and laid her head on Harry's chest "No more apologizing 'arry. We discussed it earlier." Harry smiled down at the top of her head and kissed it gently then passed out.

'OvO'

Monday was rough on Harry and Fleur, the lack of sleep seemed to keep them in a daze. They hardly noticed as it blurred past and they both made a point of stripping down and getting under the blankets early Monday night. The thought of being intimate never crossed either's mind, even as they held each other close. The skin on skin contact was comforting in a way Harry and Fleur were both coming to love and depend upon before he drifted off to sleep Harry wondered if he would ever be able to sleep without her again.

Tuesday morning as they finished breakfast they were flagged down by Cedric and Krum. They finished and joined them in a corner of the Great Hall largely ignored by the rest of the student body. Krum looked around then started talking in a low voice "The egg Vas clue. I vas forbidden to tell anyvone how to get it. I vas not told not to tell vhat it said." He smirked at them as if this was a great joke "Ve must recover something from lake, one hour." Cedric looked thoughtful "Should we work together on this one?" Harry and Fleur nodded without thought, they all looked at Viktor. He gave a short sharp nod and walked away "He is a hard one to read," Cedric mused out loud.

"So what is the plan? An hour underwater… Fleur you mentioned a charm in our letters." Fleur smiled at Harry "Just what I was zinking 'arry. Bubble 'ead charms should give us an hour. I will teach you, Cedric?" Cedric looked thoughtful "I am garbage at it, some practice couldn't hurt. We should also practice 'Aguamenti'" Harry and Fleur both looked at him confused "A water summoning spell?" Fleur asked Cedric nodded "A cousin taught me how to use it to push yourself along in water, you have to hold your wand really tight but it will give us a real push."

Harry looked thoughtful "We will all need to be able to cast that and probably a few offensive spells silently. We can practice at the lake shore, summoning a great deal of water elsewhere would probably be a bad idea." Cedric looked thoughtful "Only time I can think of to match our schedules would be early morning." It pained Harry and Fleur to agree but they nodded. With a plan, they went about the rest of their day with significantly diminished stress.

'OvO'

The next morning they showed up to the shore of Black Lake. Cedric was waiting, looking significantly more chipper then they were. Fleur it turned out was a fantastic teacher, she spent a good hour of time teaching them how to do the Bubble-Head charm. Harry's was unstable but was assured by Fleur he was doing good, practice was all it would take. Cedric's went from being a bit wobbly to almost as solid as a fishbowl on his head. By the time they had moved onto trying to cast "Aguamenti" and other spells silently Viktor had joined them, without saying a word he fell into step with them.

Cedric was the only one to manage any silent casting by breakfast. They split up agreeing that they would meet every day rain or shine for two hours before breakfast. As the weeks rolled past and the four managed to silently cast the spells they had all agreed were needed, Harry being the slowest. He was amazed at how fast he was progressing with three patient tutors with years more magical training than him. As their magical training diminished due to mastering what they wanted Viktor lead them on what his Quidditch team called physical training.

It was brutal, but Harry and Cedric gave it their all. It really is not every day you get the chance to learn from a Quidditch star. Fleur went along with good humor, the magic of being Veela kept her fit but increased stamina never hurt anyone. And she did enjoy Harry's increased muscle mass, encouraging that was well worth the effort alone.

'OvO'

Harry and Fleur spent a great deal of their time wrapped up in each other, by the time the Yule Ball had come around they barely knew anything about who was going with who. So when Harry had been dressed to Fleurs satisfaction and shown the door early in the day so she could get ready with Hermione he hardly knew who the couples of Hogwarts were going to be that night. Fred and George had joined him in the entrance hall dressed almost as well as he was.

They spent their time playing exploding snaps and joking around until other guys started showing up and looking nervous. Harry saw Krum standing off to one corner wearing robes the color of dried blood, Harry would not have believed it but they actually looked pretty good on him. Cedric walked up behind Harry and clapped him on the shoulder making Harry jump in surprise "Harry, while I am sure Mrs. Potter is going to outshine all of our dates I am going to have to apologize. I will not be asking her for a dance, Cho would kill me."

Harry chuckled and squeezed Cedric's shoulder back "Don't worry about it Cedric, I will convey your regrets. I think only Fred and George will be brave enough to ask anyway." Fred looked a little scared "You have seen Angelina when she is mad right, Harry?" Harry laughed and nodded "You may have a point, how about I ask your dates for a dance first?" Harry suddenly paled "Oh merde, dance… I forgot to learn." Fred and George shook their heads, one pulled out a pocket watch "Fifteen or so minutes, Cedric want to join mission impossible?"

Cedric chuckled "Cho can't get mad at me for dancing with Harry," The four of them went into a small side chamber. "Okay Harry grab Cedric," Harry nervously stepped over to Cedric and put out his hands. Cedric firmly placed them in the right places drawing more chuckles from Fred and George "Okay so slow dancing is easy, hands, where they are now and slowly move in circles, making sure not to step on her feet. You can also basically hug and do the same thing. But the opening dance will be the Wizards Waltz, Fleur will know it and you should ask her to lead."

Fred started stamping one foot as Cedric lead Harry in the dance slowly, luckily for everyone involved Harry seemed to pick it up quickly and was at least avoiding stepping on feet. "And that's all we have time for. You should at least not send Fleur to the hospital wing with broken feet, she can thank us later." They all stepped back into the entrance hall just in time for Cedric to get glared at by Cho, she was wearing a pretty yellow dress that set off her natural looks. Harry could see why he had crushed on her, he did not feel the same any longer but she was a very pretty witch.

Angelina and Alicia were the next two he noticed as they walked up to the twins "Good evening ladies, you two sure your not Veela?" They both looked at Harry like he had grown a second head for a minute then grinned at him "Fleur teaching you how to be a flatterer Harry?" Harry blushed and the twins glared at him "Hands off our dates Harry, you have your own." Harry waggled his eyebrows "With ladies as gorgeous as these around I will have to demand a dance from each."

The girls giggled, Harry was not sure he had ever heard either do anything so feminine "One dance Harry," Alicia said as she pulled her date away from him to stand on the side of the room where everyone but the champions were gathering. Harry looked around the entryway as other girls from the school approached their dates, every one of them seemed to put in a great deal of effort to look their best. A few eyed him from across the room, looking like they wanted to approach him but were unwilling to cross the area devoid of any cover.

"'Arry?" He heard Fleurs musical voice behind him, he would never get tired of her voice. He turned around and almost forgot how to breathe, she lit up the room. It was almost unfair to the rest of the girls in the hall, she was a different species of woman entirely. Her hair was curled in gentle curls that framed her face and Harry realized he had never seen her truly dressed up. Her makeup, unlike most girls, was not to conceal but to increase her features striking power, her eyes looked huge and bright her lips glistening and sumptuous. Her dress looked like liquid silver and clung to her form, she was wearing the jewelry he had bought her. Each piece polished and shining, the wedding ring on her perfect hands made Harry swell with pride and regain his confidence.

She was his, and he was hers and that was all that mattered in this world or the next. He reached out and gently grabbed her elbow and pulled her into a gentle but passionate kiss. He pulled back after a moment and rested his forehead against hers "You are simply beyond words Fleur." She gave him a quick peck on the lips then used her thumb to wipe the gloss off of them "Zank you 'arry, you look most 'andsome." She turned him gently and stood at his side and motioned towards Hermione, she looked amazing. Her hair had been straightened and braided in a complex way Harry had never seen, it had sparkling flowers worked into it.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat "Champions over here, Mr. Diggory Miss Chang you two first, Mr. Krum Miss Granger you next, Mr. and Mrs. Potter will come up last." Harry leaned forward and was surprised to see Hermione with Viktor, he looked at Fleur who smirked: "She made me promise not to tell, I zink she was worried others may be jealous." Harry slowly nodded "She might have been right, Viktor does get a fair amount of attention from the girls."

Professor McGonagall's voice interrupted them "When you enter the hall you will be expected to dance as you enter. Once the first dance is over you may sit to eat or continue to dance with the rest of the school." Harry paled a little bit "Fleur… I can barely dance, will you lead?" Fleur squeezed his arm to her side "I am sorry I forgot to teach you 'arry, of course, I will lead." They were shortly being lead into the hall just as the rest of the school had filed in.

Music began to play and Harry got more nervous as the couples walked in ahead of him, just before they were about to step in Fleur squeezed his hand it made him feel a little better, they were a team. They walked in slowly, Harry's eyes brushed over the crowd of people watching them. He noticed many eyes locked on Fleur, he took a deep breath and turned to her putting his hands where Cedric had shown him. On her hip and in one of her hands, his eyes met hers and everything else fell away. She was graceful enough to make up for his hesitant dancing, he could detect no disappointment in her sapphire eyes.

The dance was pleasant if a little nerve-wracking. Harry was glad when it ended, another waltz starting up as they headed for the head table. He sat down next to Cedric after seating Fleur properly. "You did just fine Harry, I am surprised you did not end up on the ground or with Fleur yelping in pain." Harry laughed at Cedric's jibes and shook his head "Fleur kept me from going completely off the rails." Fleur bumped his shoulder with hers "You did great 'arry. For zat being your first dance I was most impressed."

Harry looked more relieved than happy, he looked at his empty plate for a second then looked at Fleur. "'Ouse elves as usual 'arry, ze menu should arrive shortly." Fleur looked around then pulled a small list of foods out from under her napkin and looked down it, she looked at her plate "Filet Mignon rare, for my 'usband too." Harry was surprised when both their plates filled with food "Smells good, what is it?" Fleur chuckled and looked at him with a small amount of surprise "It is not an uncommon dish even here 'arry, we must stretch your horizons. It is a steak, cooked lightly."

Harry cut a small bite and tried it, he rather liked it. Steak in his experience was tough and dry, this was the opposite "I will let you order from now on." Fleurs musical laughter had all males in range glazing over "I will not steer you wrong 'arry." They ate slowly and enjoyed watching other couples dance, once they were done they stood and walked back onto the dance floor as a slow dance came on. Harry discovered a reason to enjoy dancing, he got to hold Fleur close and lose himself in simply being with her. The smell of fresh rainfall and spring flowers, her warmth, the softness of her skin against his.

All too soon the song ended and another waltz started "I promised George and Fred I would dance with their dates so they could have an excuse to dance with my beautiful wife." Fleur pecked him on the lips and smirked at him "Do not want me all to yourself 'arry?" Harry looked thoughtful "If I had known that was an option I would not have agreed." She smiled at him and they found Fred dancing with Angelina, Harry bowed to Fred "May I cut in?" Fred bowed back and took Fleurs hand as Harry took Angelina's. Angelina was not nearly as good at dancing as Fleur was and Harry found himself having to concentrate not to step on her feet "Are you having fun, Harry?" Harry looked up from his feet into Angelina's eyes and accidentally stepped on her foot causing her to wince.

"Yeah, oh sorry, I just learned how to dance. I think I will like it eventually." Angelina smiled at him and extended the distance between them enough that her feet were mostly out of the line of fire "You are doing okay, its a practice thing. Like a broom for everyone but you. It is kind of funny you can fly without thinking but are complete pants at this." Harry laughed, the rest of the dance was spent doing his best to not harm her further. At the end, he bowed to her and went back to Fleur "'Ow did it go 'arry?"

Harry looked embarrassed "I only stepped on her foot once." Fleur chuckled and pulled him against her tightly "You sure you want to dance with Alicia 'arry?" Harry groaned and drew back from her "Let's get it over with, then I am never dancing with anyone again but you." Fleur's eyes locked on his, he could see a little fire in them "Zat is not a bad zing Mr. Potter I never want to dance with anyone but you." He hugged her and led her over to George, he once again bowed to George and asked to cut in.

Dancing with Alicia was easier, she seemed to be skilled enough to avoid his feet and he was able to watch her eyes and her smile as they danced "I am glad you have someone like Fleur Harry. She seems to be really good for you, we were all worried at first." Harry faltered slightly in his footwork, making Alicia do a little graceful hop to avoid making it worse "Thank you, Alicia, I appreciate you guys looking out for me. It is kind of like having a family." Alicia smiled sadly at him giving him a hug as the dance ended "You can consider all of us family Harry."

He smiled at her and gave her a half nod as he went back to Fleurs arms and sighed heavily pulling her against him "Glad that is over with, she said I could consider the whole team family." Fleur squeezed him "You 'ave a family if you want it 'arry. Of course, you 'ave me. But zere is also my sister and parents. And some school friendships last for ze rest of someone's life, my Maman has friends from school still. I call them Auntie if you want to keep the girls as friends you simply keep them close." Harry nodded and murmured against her neck "Id would like that."

"For our children to have family, for us too… it's all I ever dreamed of." Fleur stopped dancing "Our children 'arry?" Harry looked panicked searching her eyes "Uh, yeah? We are married… you do not want children?" Fleur kissed him hard sucking the air from his lungs and running her hands vigorously through his hair. She pulled back and searched his eyes her cheeks pink "You would want Veela children?" The look of hopeful desperation in her eyes and the sound of emotion in her voice almost made Harry clasp her to him and never let go.

"Fleur, I do not care if you are Veela. Or are children are Veela, I have read your book. Our children will be male or Veela and look like you." She looked down and quietly whispered, "'arry male children are unusual for Veela." Harry pulled her into a hug and started slow dancing with her in the middle of a waltz going on around them "Then we will have to keep trying won't we?" Fleur chuckled wetly "Oui, I suppose we will. 'Ow many 'arry?"

He shrugged "I had not thought about it Fleur, I am okay with whatever you want. I think at least two." Fleur chuckled against him "We will get you an heir Mr. Potter, it may take four or five tries." Harry laughed and spun her about picking her up off the ground "Then we will have a lot of practice. But that is in the future, non?" Her smile made Harry's night "Yes ze future, we should both be done with school and 'ave our own 'ome."

The rest of the night was nice, neither found it odd that they were most likely the only couple doing family planning on the dance floor. They were some of the first to filter out as they headed down to their room at the carriage. Harry helped Fleur remove her clothing and he watched her slip into bed. As he slowly removed his dress robes he heard Fleur rustling the covers behind him. As he turned he saw she had thrown them back and was posed quite suggestively "'Arry, would you like to start practicing?" His clothes were off in record time, he jumped onto the bed making Fleur squeal with surprise and mirth.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get out guys. The international move is really taking it out of me, I am going to do my best to have at least one chapter up a week. But if I feel I can not do it and be happy with it then it will take a bit longer. This story will never be abandoned.**

The Champions continued to train together, the early choices they had made spell wise were long mastered by the end of the Christmas break. This lead them to expand on their plan and building in back up plans. Fleur and Harry had spent time trying to figure out how to get a broom to function underwater but eventually had to give up. It turned out Viktor was a creative and vicious duelist, he had started to teach them some lethal spells and how to defend from them.

Viktor lowered his wand panting slightly "Good, ve are vell prepared for task. Final task, more challenge. Prepare start now." Cedric looked up from his seat on the ground "I suppose there is no better time, I think we have done all we can for the second one." Fleur nodded and leaned back against Harry's chest "I 'ave done some research with 'ermione. 'Istorically ze final task is a free for all, deadly beasts and spells are ze norm. We should focus on curse breaking and continue to practice fighting."

Harry tilted his head to the side "We have talked about what we are doing for the second task, but are we going to continue into the third? Seems to me that one will be more dangerous than the second and more important that we stick together." Krum and Cedric nodded slowly, Fleur simply squeezed his arms gently "Zen we are agreed, we come out zis alive and together or not at all." Harry chuckled darkly "Then let's get working, I prefer the first option." Hermione called out from her spot leaning against a nearby tree "I am in to guys." Everyone grinned at her and walked over to sit down around her, too tired to continue magical or physical training for the day.

"Found anything good in all those books Hermione?" Hermione glared at Harry as if he had insulted her babies. She waved the large black book she had been reading under his nose "You will be thanking me at the end of the year for saving your lives. I had to lie to Professor Flitwick to get this out of the restricted section." Fleur pushed Harry playfully over and winked at Hermione "What did you find 'ermione?"

"This book is what they used to teach the master's level battle magic class." Hermione declared proudly. "I did not know the school ever taught battle magic, or masters level classes," Cedric said as he approached to look at the book in her hands. "They haven't for a few hundred years at least. I can't find any mention of it in recent history, but the book itself is fascinating and I doubt many modern wizards would recognize the spells being used. That alone is an advantage." Hermione finished her speech as Fleur perked up "Ze school dueling instructor always said zat you must always know ze spells being cast at you to know to dodge, block or shield. If zey do not know zey will be at a great disadvantage, 'ermione can we keep zis a secret between us… can we steal ze book?"

Hermione looked scandalized "Steal the... " Harry saw her brain kick in starting to consider Fleur's suggestion "I Suppose it really could be a matter of life or death. But Fleur, I checked it out we would have to erase it from the library register." Fleur looked thoughtful "You check out so many books 'ermione, is it possible to accidentally cross it out as returned when you return ze rest?" Hermione paled slightly "If Madam Pince ever found out…" she sighed and nodded "I can hold onto it for a few years…" Harry looked at her his mouth hanging open "What Harry? I know how to take care of a book and it will simply be keeping it a bit longer then the library would normally lend a book. That is not stealing, at home, I would simply pay a fine."

Harry felt like arguing the point would be counter to their overall goals and left it alone, Hermione only broke the rules for people she cared about Harry realized that list at school had one name on it. He reached over and squeezed her knee "Thanks." She gave him a half smile in return then flipped to a marked point in the book "Now that we have that out of the way, these are protective spells that went out of usage because 'Protego' is easy to teach and effective. They are mostly charms that make it harder to aim at a person correctly, I think they could be useful against wizards or creatures that only use sight." She flipped to another marked spot "And these are conjuration spells, an entire school of magic that has largely disappeared. They mostly create objects that are launched at a target, like arrows, rocks, knives, you get the idea. I think wizards went away from these to distinguish themselves from muggles, but they could be very useful. Protego does not stop physical objects, there is a shield spell in here to do that though. Which makes sense… Wizards in the past definitely had to stop arrows and swords I imagine."

The others looked at her slightly stunned, Krum was the first to speak up "Genius, ve have genius helping." The rest slowly nodded as Hermione blushed "I just found a useful book." Even Hermione could see the looks of admiration in the eyes of the people she was coming to consider friends. She laid the book down gently and flipped back to the page marked neatly with a red piece of plastic shaped like an arrow "Okay, so I figured the best place to start was here…"

'OvO'

With nothing to worry about except for training and classes the month of January was a blissful blur for Harry. It was early February before Harry knew what happened, Harry was starting to suspect being happy was a form of time travel. Cedric leaned against the tree breathing hard "Guys, I'm going to have to take the weekend off for Valentine's day and Hogsmeade. If I don't take Cho I won't survive long enough to die in the tournament." Harry looked slightly panicked "I had forgotten… never had to worry about it beyond being tackled by dwarves in tutu's."

Fleur gave Harry an odd look that made Cedric laugh "I had forgotten about that, Maybe you should tell your lovely bride about her competition." Harry glared at Cedric as Fleur quirked a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Harry "Competition 'arry? I zought I was your first." Harry's face had Cedric in stitches. "It's not like that Fleur, it was just a girl with a crush, the one I saved from the basilisk." The mention of the basilisk had Cedric and Krum looking over with interest "Ah ze fair maiden trying to favor 'er knight?" Fleur asked a small smile creeping on to her lips. "Basilisk? So the rumors are true?" Cedric asked looking between Harry and Fleur.

Harry sighed and nodded "Yeah I stabbed it with a sword in my second year to save Ginny Weasley, to be honest, I was more annoyed it hurt Hermione." Cedric's face still looked incredulous "'Arry would not lie, Cedric, Besides he wrote me ze same night and told me ze story." Harry quickly recounted what he remembered.

"You skipped a bit of zat in ze letter 'arry." Fleur said as she clasped his hand to her chest. Harry gave a small shrug "I did not want to worry you." Cedric chuckled "Can we see it Harry?" Harry looked startled for a second "Well, there's a huge drop, I suppose brooms would work. Then it is not the most pleasant environment, and there was the cave in. I guess if we can figure that stuff out I do not mind."

They seemed eager, even to Harry's eyes. "So, we make a plan and go down in a week or two?" Cedric said his eyes gleaming. "Yeah, but maybe we should just go in tonight. Right after dinner, we should be back before curfew." This seemed to meet with general agreeance.

They headed to dinner as a group, if the rest of the school found it odd to see the Champions sitting together no one mentioned it. When Hermione and the rest of the group got up after eating promptly the twins followed. They caught up with them just before they grabbed school brooms from the cupboard used by the first year classes. "Hey Harry, guys, where's the party?"

Harry smirked, "giving a tour of the Chamber of Secrets, we have two seats left if you guys want in." One of the twins grinned "brilliant," he grabbed up two brooms and tossed the spare to his brother. Hermione held her broom as if expecting it to bite her as they all walked up to the second floor girls bathroom. Harry leaned over the faucet and concentrated, it took him two tries before it opened.

Dank fetid air filled the room as everyone looked at the large pipe. "Down we go, be careful guys." Harry mounted his broom and hovered Infront of the hole until Fleur and Hermione joined him, Hermione looked shaky but was holding up admirably. Harry lit up his wand and slowly did circles descending down the pipe, it took quite a long time before he saw the pile of bones and slime he had slid into two years ago.

He flew over it and landed on a spot of clear ground waiting for the rest to join him. There were looks of shock and awe on faces as they looked around. "Blimey this is bigger then I imagined," Fred said as he walked over to the cave in. "We are going to need to clear that to go any further," Harry said as he pulled out his wand. "Any ideas?" Harry said his wand held hesitantly.

Cedric stepped forward and started a complex motion with his wand, after a few moments an arch formed out of the rubble "That should hold for a day or so." Krum clasped Cedric's shoulder and grunted walking through first. Harry followed close behind till they got to the large intricate doors. Everyone stopped and pulled out their wands, tips lighting increased the rooms brightness significantly.

Harry inspected the door for the second time seeing things he had not noticed before. Little stick figures formed a story, it looked like the foundation of the school and the defense of it from all sorts of attackers "Wow, looks like the founding was a lot bloodier then we learn about." Harry said as he traced them with a finger "In Hogwarts: A history, they do mention early battles but with no context or detail." Hermione said as she inspected it as well.

Fleur ran her hand down Harry's forearm til she held his hand in hers "'Arry, open it so we can see ze rest." Harry nodded and opened it on the first try, the grinding of the door made everyone take a step back. Harry expected the smell of decay but was surprised when there was not any. He slowly walked inside until he saw the familiar form of the basilisk, he stopped and slowly pointed.

It took the others a moment to stop focusing on the chamber itself and take in the form of the basilisk, it's acid green skin forming a wall separating the chamber almost in two. "Bloody hell Harry, you fought that to save Ginny?" Fred said as George stepped forward and placed a hand on the flank of the great beast "Dad thoroughly understated what our family owes you." George said as he ran his hand slowly along the scales.

Hermione walked around till she could see its mouth and almost fainted "Harry I thought you said this thing was about twenty meters if I had to guess it is almost thirty." Harry shrugged "what's an extra fifteen feet when something is trying to kill you in the dark." Fleur's hand in his was almost painful due to how hard she grasped. Krum inspected one of the fangs "Is good kill, you vhat twelve?" Harry nodded making Krum nod in turn "Man measured by deed, you great man."

Harry blushed, when Fleur whispered something in his ear he blushed even deeper. Cedric stepped around the beast and pointed around the chamber "You did not mention exploring before you left Harry, think we should look around? Maybe look inside the statue where the basilisk came out." Harry mounted his broom and slowly flew into the open mouth of Salazar Slytherin he noticed quickly the others had followed when lights showed along the walls behind him.

They found a large round room with a round indent in the center. There was a nook along the far wall with a rug, a reading chair with a desk in front of it and a bookshelf to one side that was filled with untitled leather bound tomes. Hermione shrieked with delight and ran for the bookshelf, to her credit she did wave her wand over the books a few times checking them for danger before pulling one out and setting it on the desk. "'ermione, let us check zat over as well," Fleur said as she approached with her wand out, Krum was close behind her.

"This place took three layers of parsel tongue to get into, I doubt anything will be dangerous," Harry said as he walked forward and watched the older students work. After a few minutes, everyone had checked for everything they can think of and Hermione flipped it open. The writing was either in such an archaic form of English it was eligible or some other language.

"Well, that is a bit of a letdown." One of the twins said, Hermione simply pulled a few more books and flipped them open finding the same. "Well, they may not be immediately useful but translating them could be the work of a lifetime. They have the potential to change the wizarding world as we know it." Harry looked at Hermione for a few seconds then made up his mind "Well Hermione, as the only person who can enter this room. And the killer of its defender I give you those books. Go ahead and shrink them down, me and Fleur can help you carry them out in our pockets."

Hermione looked like Christmas had come again "Harry! Is that legal?" Harry shrugged and looked around the room "It is just us Hermione if no one says otherwise then who would know?" Everyone nodded then looked at Krum surprised when he spoke "I vould like translation, vould help." Hermione nodded and started clearing the shelves carefully, zeal clear in her eyes.

Harry started checking desk drawers as the others were busy with the books, the twins wondered over after the first empty drawer. "Find anything good Harry?" Harry looked over his shoulder as he pulled open the bottom drawer on the left side, it had clearly been expanded in some way. It was full of hundreds of vials, they ingredients of all kinds. Harry had always hated potions but had done a fair amount of self study. Off the top of his head, he saw manticore tendon, a whole dragons heart and nundu hair. Those alone were worth a small house.

"Dibs!" The twins called out in unison, Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Company property?" He countered the twins nodded "Fair enough Harry, fair enough." After emptying out that drawer the rest of the desk and room were searched. Dust in abundance but nothing else of interest was found.

The group made its way carefully out of the chamber and into the school grounds. "Thanks for taking us down there Harry, you might want to talk to someone about that basilisk. They are rare and parts could probably be used for potions." Cedric looked earnestly at Harry "thanks for the recommendation Cedric, if it has not gone south by now it will hold for a year or two more. I imagine being a fully recognized adult and not this weird legal limbo I'm in right now would help." Cedric shrugged "think about it, you may have a point though. Good night all."

The group split up, Harry and Fleur were surprised when Hermione walked with them down to the carriage and into their room. They kept their peace for the walk assuming she would talk when she was ready. Harry suspected she was guarding the books. The second the door closed Hermione turned to them "Harry, these books are potentially worth millions. Are you sure you want me to have them?"

"I can think of no one better Hermione, would you like it if we held onto them? Maybe send them to Fleur's parents house till we can buy our own place this summer." Fleur nodded "We would be 'appy to take care of zem, we could even make sure our 'ouse 'as a spare room attached to ze library." Hermione looked touched "you would do all that? Have a room for me in your house even?"

Harry looked at Fleur and kissed her quickly "I think that's a brilliant idea Hermione, we will be working with the twins. It would leave you a nice quite house, that is if you wouldn't mind living with friends." Hermione threw herself at the pair dragging them into a hug "that would allow me to translate them without working, are you guys sure?" Fleur gave her a squeeze "our 'ome is your 'ome 'ermione. You 'ave been like a sister to 'arry, family sticks together."

'OvO'

Harry and Fleur woke up early for Valentine's day, they showered together. What was intended to be a quick morning rinse took somewhat longer. When they finally made it to the Hogsmeade path they were both dressed up, Fleur had chosen Harry's outfit again making Harry smile. He was starting to really appreciate the small things that showed she cared about him.

Fleur pointed out a few couples to Harry as they made their way into town, it seemed to Harry like he had never noticed all the couples of Hogwarts. He was not sure if the Yule Ball had born a new interest in couples or if he had simply never paid attention. He waved to the twins who were walking slowly with Angelina and Alicia who had both put in a fair amount of effort to look their best. "What do you want to do today Fleur?"

Fleur tapped her chin in a way that drew Harry's eyes to her lips, them pursing as she thought was simply too much. Just as she had begun to speak he grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss. Wolf whistles came from suspiciously close to where Harry estimated the twins to be as Harry snogged Fleur. She pulled back and pecked him quickly on the lips and looked into his eyes curiously then smirked at him "Ze candy store I zink. What was it called again, 'oney Duke's?"

"Yeah, then maybe we get back to the room." Fleur's musical laughter had a portion of the crowd staring at them. Harry spotted Malfoy in the back with Pansy Parkinson, her pug like eyes filled with something Harry was unsure about. If she were a male he would call it rage, but she was staring at Draco. Harry shook off the thought and wrapped an arm around Fleur running it down her side and squeezing her derriere which elicited a squeak of surprise from Fleur and a throaty chuckle.

"A pleasant date first 'arry, everything in moderation." The look on his face had her grinning at him. She dragged him into Honey Duke's where she resupplied on her stash of sweets, Harry privately planned on buying stock in a chocolate factory. If their last two visits were anything to go by it would be a sound investment, she seemed to go through most of it over the course of a single week once a month.

Harry had been smart enough not to ask and Fleur had simply worn pajamas to bed and been more cuddly than usual. Judging from the horror stories he heard whispered in the boy's dorms he was getting off light, so chocolate he would buy. Fleur eventually finished loading a portion of the store into her basket and waved Harry over to pay for it. He absentmindedly scooped some gold on to the counter as the clerk and Fleur chatted.

He spotted Ron in the back of the store alone next to the acid pops, he squeezed Fleur's hand and walked over to him. "You owe Hermione an apology, preferably by post. Since you can't manage to not take a swing at people, even women." Ron's face ran through several colors and settled on beet red, to Harry's surprise Ron ducked his head and pushed past him and out the door leaving his bag stuffed onto a shelf unpurchased.

Fleur walked up behind him as he inspected Ron's bag, an acid pop and some chocolate frogs. "What is it 'arry?" Harry shrugged setting the bag back down "Bit worried about him, he's a prat but he was a friend. Not a great one but still… I never had many, you think he will come around?" Fleur took his hand and pulled him into the crisp winter air "'Arry, you know I lost many friends when I didn't mature like all ze other girls…"

Harry saw a flash light up the snow behind Fleur he instinctively grabbed her and pulled them both backwards into a snow drift. He hit the ground rolling leaving Fleur half buried in snow, he popped to his feet his wand in hand and looked around for the person who had sent a spell at them. He was surprised to see Pansy red faced and shouting, her voice had reached a pitch not recognizable to humans. She swept her wand at him and a sickly orange spell he did not recognize flew just over his shoulder, he didn't even twitch recognizing that the erratic fire was too poorly aimed to be a threat.

Harry heard Krum in his mind "Not let enemy have time, take down fast, take down hard." Harry jumped to the side dodging a blood red spell and sent one of his own back "Bombarda!" He cried mid air, twisting to land in a roll and come to his feet. A rush of wind almost unbalanced him Midway to his feet. Pansy had raised a weak shield and slid back a few yards she was on her backside, Harry saw Draco and his bookends running their way.

If he didn't end this soon things were going to go sideways. He raised his wand and silently sent three stunners in her direction, one directly at her, one at her right side and one directly above her in case she tried to jump. Harry was surprised to see two hit as she tried to stand and was sent to the ground. Her invective cutting off mid-sentence only to be taken up by the bellowing of Crabbe and Goyle.

Spellfire came from behind him he looked over his shoulder for a brief second and saw Fleur had joined the fight. Her platinum blonde hair streaming out behind her as she gracefully moved in patterns that Harry did not recognize, he made a mental note to ask her about it. Three black bolts snapped him back to the fight, he raised a shield just in time grunting under the strain. "Attacking my betrothed Potter? Sunk so low you are attacking women in the streets?"

Harry backed up till his shield was covering Fleur, Malfoy despite talking had not stopped sending spells in their direction "She tried hitting Fleur in the back Malfoy." Draco sneered "it isn't a crime to put down a beast Potter." Harry snarled and started sending piercing spells at Malfoy, who paled and started dancing out of their way. Fleur grabbed his shoulder from behind giving it a reassuring squeeze and cast a charm towards Malfoy.

It seemed to be designed for an area leaving him nothing to dodge, Harry watched as the snowy ground turned to ice leaving the trio on the ground in a pile. Fleur quickly stunned all three, the once full street seemed to have emptied of students. "I take it counter charms is not covered in fourth year at 'ogwarts?" Harry shrugged taking a last look at the pile of Slytherins, he grabbed Fleur's hand and walked her towards the school.

"I'm not sure Fleur, it definitely has not been taught yet. There is a defense against area spells?" Fleur nodded at him looking thoughtful "Of course zere is 'arry, just like targeted spells you can stop ze effect or spell before it is complete. Or after, it is ze basis for curse breaking." Harry nodded slowly "If it is not commonly taught at Hogwarts it may give us the edge in self-defense. Add another thing to the list of things you have to teach me."

Fleur playfully made a check mark in mid-air causing them both to laugh. The pair walked over to the four Slytherins and looked at them thoughtfully "Should we do something?" Harry asked thoughtfully. Fleur grinned and winked at him, she levitated them one after the other onto a nearby bench putting Draco on the bottom and Pansy carefully on top like a cherry on a sundae. They linked hands and walked away from the scene.

Just before Harry and Fleur got to the Three Broomsticks he spotted a large black dog down an alleyway. Padfoot wagged his tail happily as Harry pulled Fleur down the side street. He waved his head over his shoulder then turned and looked back at them. They followed him for almost a quarter of an hour until they stood in a copse of trees outside Hogsmeade.

Sirius transformed back into his human form, Harry was relieved to see how much better he looked. "Dobby keeping you well fed?" Harry inquired looking Sirius over, his eyes still looked haunted but he must have gained at least twenty or thirty pounds. "Sure is, nuttier than a squirrel stash that one but very handy." Fleur and Harry smiled at him "What can we do for ze most 'andsome fugitive in Britain?" Harry and Sirius gave Fleur identical flabbergasted looks.

Fleur simply laughed and shook her head "men are too easy to tease." Sirius chuckled and shook his head "dangerous Harry, keep an eye on her. I just wanted to check on you guys. The next task is soon and you two will be going head to head with your competition. It isn't unheard of for champions to take each other out. It's not even against the rules!"

"We will be fine Sirius, we are looking at for each other. And the other champions have agreed to work together to survive." Sirius nodded slowly "okay, but trust no one but each other. Keep an eye out for treachery." He got quiet for a second then looked directly into their eyes one after the other "it can come from those you trust most." The pain in his voice and eyes was palpable. Fleur and Harry nodded, Harry gave Sirius a hug then stopped Fleur from doing the same. "Don't give the old dog a chance to cop a feel."

Sirius looked offended then barked a laugh "can't say that one isn't well deserved… one time I unhooked Lily's brassiere when she gave me a hug… I still have the scars." His face was dreamy as if remembering the moment. Fleur smirked and hugged Sirius who was careful to keep his hands in sight "See 'arry, 'e knows not to anger a Veela." Harry chuckled and waved to Sirius "We need to get going, be careful Sirius." Moments later Padfoot was running across the field barking at birds to startle them into the air.

Harry and Fleur chuckled and turned back down the path to town, they had to hurry to get back to the Three Broomsticks if they were to eat and get back in the school gates in time. Halfway back Fleur jumped on Harry's back almost sending him to the ground her hair tickled his neck as he wrapped his arms around her legs to keep her up. He felt her lips against his ear "My legs were getting cold, if I knew we were going to chase Padfoot halfway out of town I would not have worn a skirt."

Fleur saw the back of Harry's neck redden which made her laugh out loud. Harry thought the sound of her musical laughter rolling over the snowfield, the feel of her weight and the smell of her hair was near magical. Harry had been learning how to use magic from the day he walked into Hogwarts but it had been Fleur that had brought magic into his life without a single spell. Far too quickly they made it back to town, Fleur tried lowering herself to the ground. Harry quickly spun her around him so her legs were wrapped around his front and she was pressed against him. He pushed her up against the outer wall of a house and kissed her.

She pushed her hips against his as they kissed, Harry had to break it off and let her down before he found out if wizards had public indecency laws. They were both pink in the face as they decided to skip dinner and hurry to the carriage. To Harry's surprise Fleur rushed into the ensuite and locked the door as they entered the room, he laid back on the bed and waited for her to finish. He heard the door open and the sound of footsteps, then felt weight settle onto the bed on either side of his legs.

He opened his eyes to the sight of Fleur in bright red lingerie that managed to cover everything and nothing, Harry grabbed her hips with his hands and looked into her eyes. "Fleur?" Harry said as he watched her eyes, a feat that would have been impossible given what she was wearing only a few short weeks ago. "Yes 'arry?" she replied leaning down bracing herself with a hand on his chest. "You wouldn't do anything you did not want to do just because you thought I wanted you too right?"

Fleur sighed and tapped him on the chest, she took a deep breath paying careful attention to her enunciation "Harry, I am both older than you and Veela. Not that the second one makes me a sex demon but it did make it so I was raised very aware of my sexuality and others. Believe it or not, women enjoy being intimate every bit as much as men. I can see in your eyes every time you look at me that I am desirable, you will learn to see it in mine." Fleur smiled when he nodded then leaned down and kissed him, showing him the passion he brought forth in her.

'OvO'

Harry stood at the shore side with the other Champions looking over the lake, the crowd looked on with interest there seemed to be some discussion about why none of them seemed to be in swimwear. Harry whispered to Fleur "I think they expected to see you in a bikini." Fleur shook her head ruefully "It is February in Scotland, I would rather not get frostbite, I like my bits where zey are." Harry waggled his eyebrows at her "Me too amor, me too." She playfully pushed him then looked at Cedric and Viktor "Are we ready for plan A?" both nodded, Cedric, looking exceedingly nervous while Krum looked calmly confident.

They could not hear what was being said over the wind but the stands looked full enough, the crowd was bundled together looking over the bleak water. The four of them watched as Bagman raised his wand and shot off a cannon blast. Cedric looked at the others "Showtime then?" when they nodded he raised his wand and went to work, he was waving his wand at the shore while Fleur started making complex motions at their feet. Krum and Harry stood in reserve and watched as the sand of the shore started to form a dock jutting out into the lake, Cedric was red-faced and panting and yet it grew. Fleur finished just as Cedric slumped holding himself up, his hands on his knees.

Harry and Krum put a shoulder under each of his arms and they walked down the dock as a group giving Cedric time to catch his breath. About fifteen feet before the end Harry saw Myrtle float out of the lake "They are right under me Harry." Harry smiled at Myrtle and shrugged out from under Cedric "Thanks, Myrtle, what do they have down there?" Myrtle shrugged "Sorry Harry, the merpeople chase me away every time I get close." Harry just nodded and turned back towards the group "Okay, Fleur you lead. Me and Krum will help." Fleur nodded and raised her wand to the sky and started chanting, Harry and Krum followed her actions supporting her with as much power as they could.

Fleur fell to her knees Harry saw the water beneath the dock pushing to get away from her "Great job Fleur, I think we are ready." Harry scooped Fleur into a bridal carry "Just a few minutes and you can let it go." He received a weak nod in return, he looked at Krum who was still holding up Cedric and nodded at him "On two then, One, Two!" Cedric took a deep breath and stood straight and jumped with Krum, Harry followed a fraction of a second later. The quartet fell, just as the water approached within eight feet of Fleur it was repelled in a giant bubble.

Soon they were completely surrounded by water as they fell, Harry thought he saw the giant squid swim by them and stare curiously. It did not take long for them to see the lake bed come up beneath them. They braced for impact ensuring their feet were down, Fleurs charm work did the trick. The cushioning charms slowing them down enough to reduce the impact so it was merely jarring. Krum lit up his wand and motioned behind them and to the right, Harry realized they were in the center of a village. Dozens of merpeople stared at them wide-eyed, shock clear on their not quite human faces.

"Hostages, scum!" Krum bit out and stunners flew from the tip of his wand. Harry turned towards his targets and saw that Krum was right, where they expected to see prized possessions were hostages. A mirror copy of Fleur before she had matured was chained to the rock along with others, Harry recognized Hermione and Cho right off but the smaller sallow girl looked a lot like Viktor. Harry's suspicion it was a sibling was proven correct seconds later "Nein, nicht. Meine Schwester."

Harry did not speak the language but he understood "Krum, your point. Just get them down and let's get out of here. Cedric, return trip is going to be a bit harder than we thought but Fleur can't keep this up for long. Cedric nodded looking determined, he and Harry walked towards the rock the hostages were tied to so the air bubble would encompass them all. To their surprise the second the air touched them they all woke "Harry! Why are we still in the lake?" Hermione looked a little confused as she struggled with the chains. "We are working on the Hermione, hold still and let Viktor free you, you can help us get out of here." Krum spoke to his sister calming her his hand cupping her cheek, he backed up and pointed at a spot on the chains far away from the hostages "Bombarda!"

The chains fell away, Krum caught his sister and cradled her in one arm the other still holding his wand high and ready. Harry managed to out and slow Gabrielle and Hermione enough that they landed on their own feet "Fleur! Is that Harry? Oh, he is handsome! Can I borrow him?" Harry felt Fleur chuckle against him she turned her head to her sister "Maybe later, mon petit." Gabrielle kicked wet sand sulking for a split second then looked at him with a wicked gleam in her eyes that made Harry shiver.

Cedric made sure Cho was okay then stood to one side of the bubble and took a deep breath, seconds later he had transfigured a large rock into a medium sized rowboat. Harry was impressed even if it was plain and still looked rather rocky in texture. "Get in the boat, Gabrielle." He said in French making Gabrielle squeak in surprise and Fleur chuckle tiredly. Everyone loaded into the boat, they were lucky that most of the hostages had been petite girls. Hermione after much searching cursed under her breath "Sorry Harry, I do not have my wand!" Harry gave her a brief smile "Do not worry about it, Hermione. Everyone grab something, this is going to be a bit rough!"

Fleur released her Bubble-Head charm, water rushed in from all sides pushing their small boat up like a cork chasing the no longer magically held air bubble to the surface. The ride up was a terrifying rush of wind, water, air, and pressure. The screams of all involved echoed around the shrinking bubble of air that was splitting up and elongating as they headed for the surface. Harry had an idea and just before they hit surface "Incarcerous!" netting shot out of his net and covered the top of the small boat holding them all down as they shot up into the air. They were weightless for a split second then fell and hit the water with a loud smack sound.

Harry heard groaning from multiple people and a small voice ask "Are we dead?" Harry chuckled first, then the boat was slowly filled with laughter. Harry stuck his wand in the water behind the boat and started using "aguamenti" to propel them forward, he was pretty sure there was an easier way but he could not think of it at the moment. Harry felt the boat grind into the sandy bottom and seconds later it had reverted back to a rock leaving them in a pile on the wet sand of the shore. Madame Pomfrey rushed over and efficiently had them bundled in blankets and sitting inside a tent with smoke coming from their ears before they could argue with her.

Harry had learned long ago it was better to let the matron do her work than ask questions and end up doing exactly what she wanted anyway. Fleur held Gabrielle against her in a tight hug, Harry could see how much Fleur loved her little sister. He held out his hand to Gabrielle "Hello Gabrielle, My name is Harry. I guess I am your brother now." Gabrielle knocked his hand away with one of hers for a split second Harry was worried, then he had a tiny little girl launch herself at his chest. He chuckled and held her up hugging her "She is a lot like you." He said to Fleur, smirking at her as she blushed.

"I told Fleur I was going to Marry you, she just had to go and steal you. But don't worry Harry she is so old she will die first then we can get married." Fleur made a sound halfway between a squeal and a growl "How dare you, I am not that much older than you!" Fleur started tickling her little sister, which ended up tickling Harry as she tried to burrow into his chest to get away from her sister. They were interrupted to Harry's relief by Colin Creevey "The Headmaster says they are ready to give you scores." The champions stood up, Harry ended up giving Gabrielle a piggyback ride. As they exited the tent they saw the crowd cheering, Harry was pretty sure he saw his in-laws waiting off to the side. He was sorely tempted to take Fleur and Gabrielle and go over to them but Fleur was leading him by his hand to the judge's platform.

Dumbledore stood and put his wand to his throat "Sonorous, Today we witnessed a display of international cooperation. The judges have decided in the spirit of the effort put forth by the champions to award them all full marks." The cheer from the crowd was almost deafening, Harry wrapped an arm around Fleur and steered her towards her parents. Harry spotted Hermione making her way towards them, she paused for a half second silently asking if she was welcome. Harry motioning towards Fleurs parents with his head was enough of an invitation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **A/N: Sorry about the delay, moves are hard work. Adding another country into it that is literally on the opposite side of the world complicates matters. I will be honest though and say the delay was caused largely by how difficult I found it to write action. The funny thing is I love action heavy writers and stay away from romance novels. Turns out I am best at what I do not read myself, ironic. I hope you all enjoy it, it is the first time I actually went back and rewrote parts. I do officially have someone going over chapters and formatting them, I will be uploading the improved versions as soon as I have time.**

As Harry walked up to the Delacours Gabrielle got away from him and grabbed her father by his hand. Appoline stepped forward and drew Harry into a hug, it was comforting in an indescribable way. Harry suspected it was what it felt like to have a mother, he hugged her back taking in the moment that ended too soon "We are glad you all did well 'arry. We only have a little before we must leave, but we simply could not pass up a chance to see our son in action." Harry smiled shyly and instead of acknowledging what she had said motioned behind him to Hermione who had just made her way over to them.

"Alaine, Appoline this is my best friend Hermione. She has agreed to be my best man this summer." Harry smirked as he watched Hermione's reaction to his continued use of best man "Only you Harry..." she muttered then stuck out her hand to Appoline "Hermione Granger, very pleased to meet you. I have read a great deal about your magical government would it be wrong to presume you are the Delacours?" Appoline bypassed her hand and gave Hermione a brief hug "Oui dear, the only Delacour we are aware of. That is simply our occupation, do not fret over it."

Hermione nodded, Harry thought she looked a little serious, he wondered what his new in-laws did for a living but decided they would tell him or he would ask Fleur later. Alain looked them over and pulled Gabrielle into a side hug "We are very proud of both of you, and grateful you rescued Gabrielle here so successfully. We are coming for the final challenge and have managed to convince both of your schools to let us take you home the next day. I am sure you will enjoy France Harry." Harry smiled and nodded, Fleur gave her parents a hug and her little sister a kiss on the cheek and then they were walking away.

"They always seem so busy," Harry thought out loud. Fleur simply nodded but Hermione shook her head "Well they would be Harry, the Delacours have been an important part of French government since the fall of their monarchy." Harry looked at Fleur in surprise, she simply shrugged "My family was nobles when zat meant anything, my ancestor managed to keep everything together when it was all going bad. Zey do what zey can now." Hermione looked like there was more to it but Fleur seemed done so Harry took their hands and walked off to the carriage, unnoticed was a small water beetle too far off to have heard anything.

'OvO'

The next morning Harry and Fleur were later than usual to breakfast, they walked into the entire Great Hall staring at them. They chose to keep their heads down and head for their usual spots where Hermione and the girls from Quidditch were waiting, as they sat down one of them slid Witch Weekly in front of Fleur "Told you Rita fights dirty." Fleur and Harry looked at the front of the magazine that had large bright letters that read "Boy-who-lived in a scandalous threesome! See pg. 17." Fleur looked at Harry with an offended look on her face "We are in a zreesome and you did not tell me 'arry?"

Harry looked momentarily startled until Fleur started laughing "'Arry, calm down. We spend almost all of our free time together." She looked at the cover again then back up to Angelina "So who is our illicit lover?" Hermione blushed and raised her hand half heartedly, Fleur grinned at her "Why 'arry, if you wanted to invite 'ermione…" Harry quickly covered her mouth with his hand sparing Hermione from whatever the end of that sentence was. Hermione blushed anyway and the girls laughed, Harry may have stopped Fleur from talking but her bright merry eyes were speaking volumes.

He slowly lowered his hand, she kissed his palm quickly and winked at him. Harry shook his head and ate breakfast then hurried off to classes. He should have expected Snape and Malfoy to be their usual selves, potions was a small slice of hell. He felt worse for Hermione who spent the entire time bright red and with her head down. When they sat down for dinner Fleur was waiting for them looking a little sympathetic "You know, in France, it is not unheard of for a man's mistress and wife to get along quite well." Harry and Hermione glared at her which only made her laugh.

'OvO'

The next morning at breakfast both Hermione and Fleur had dozens of letters dropped off by owls. Hermione opened one up before Fleur managed to slap it out of her hands quickly, it squelched spaying out a greenish yellow substance "Back away from ze table 'ermione. Are you expecting any letters?" Hermione shook her head, Fleur simply gave a short nod and waved her wand making the various letters glow and reattach to the owl that brought them. The owls flew back out of the Great Hall in one big parliament "We will see 'o is laughing…" Fleur grumbled.

Harry rubbed her arm "What did you do?" Fleur sat down and served them both thinking for a minute "Zey were more zen likely mean letters, ze one 'ermione opened was certainly trapped. I sent zem back to sender, vigorously." Harry chuckled but Hermione looked slightly startled "What if one was actually for us from someone who meant no harm?" Fleur smiled "Zen zere is worse zings zen being hit with a letter in ze face. Unpleasant oui, but not awful."

Fleur looked thoughtful for a second "But if zey trapped it in any way… I imagine eating zere words will not be fun." Hermione and Harry shook their heads slowly, Harry started to chuckle "Our family motto should be 'Never mess with Fleur' I imagine in Latin it would be very pretty." Hermione just smirked "Flos numquam ad pulmentum. It is a poor translation and makes little sense in the first place Harry."

'OvO'

Harry and the other champions had been walked out to the Quidditch pitch a month before the final task, they had expected some sort of challenge involving deadly creatures and spells. In Hermione's research, she had turned up the fact that mazes were used in almost every single tournament since its founding. It was a pretty hard to miss hint, so the fact that they were looking over a half grown hedge maze had no exactly surprised the champions. They had spent the months between the second task and the last training daily.

As Harry stood by the others at the entrance to the maze with the others he looked around nervously, Appoline and Alain waved at him from the crowd Gabrielle rode her father's shoulders and waved in his direction vigorously. Harry reached out and grabbed Fleur's hand, he felt her fingers lace in with his and squeeze gently. He drew comfort from her presence, there was something about her that had always given him a peace. He caught her eyes for a brief moment seeing the trepidation hidden in their depths.

Harry shook his head hard scattering his thoughts, he could not afford to lose concentration. The first whistle blew, Indicating Harry and Fleur should have entered together having tied for first. They simply looked at each other exchanged hugs and took the time to kiss passionately, a twinned wolf whistle could barely be heard from the stands. They split apart and chuckled, the whistle blew again and Krum stepped forward and shook their hands. A third whistle sounded and Cedric stepped forward "What no kiss for me?"

Harry and Fleur laughed as Viktor stepped forward to embrace Cedric who received a brief buss on each cheek. Cedric grinned "Not quite the person I had in mind Viktor." Harry just shook his head and muttered: "You are pretty Ced but you can count me out." A fourth blast of the whistle sounded as if to tell them to get on with it. As one they faced the entrance and pulled their wands. Viktor and Harry stepped forward and led the group in, with Fleur proving shields and Cedric Transfiguring physical obstacles the maze proved to be not much of a challenge.

Blast-ended skrewts, giant spiders, and a minotaur were easily dispatched. They had agreed before even heading in that lethal force was their only option if they wanted to come out alive. Fleur had been called to the front a few times for her curse breaking skills, the rest had been taking lessons from her but only Harry with his Arithmancy background was making much headway. They found themselves staring at the cup itself, unsure what to do now that they had reached this point alive. They had never discussed how it would end Harry stepped forward and motioned at it with a hand "We came in together, we take it together?"

Cedric shook his head "You and Fleur warned us about the first task and still came out first, you two should take it." Fleur stepped forward and took Harry's hand "Non, we do this together or not at all, at the same time?" Without further argument, the four champions stood forward and at the same time grasped the trophy. Harry felt a tug behind his navel as they were all whisked away, he hit the ground hard three more thumps followed quickly.

Harry looked around having recovered first, he was in a graveyard, headstones headed off into the night they were old. "Our guest has arrived Peter, do make him comfortable," A cold high voice said from the other side of a small rise. Harry stood and almost immediately regretted it, Peter Pettigrew was heading towards him wand out. He looked at Fleur and the others on the ground "Stay down, they only know I am here. Go get help."

Without hesitation Harry strode forward and started slinging spells at Peter, they danced and weaved in the night for the space of a few seconds light of differing colors flashing around. "Enough," Harry heard that same voice say "Crucio!" His world filled with pain, he found himself on the ground twitching "Stun him and bring him to me wormtail." He could hear Peter stepping carefully through the headstones, suddenly Fleur was standing over him wand raised "You shall have to go zrough me if you want 'arry." A high pitched laughter that made Harry's skin crawl filled the graveyard.

"Ah the girl, what a surprise. I am happy to inform you we can accommodate you this night. Avada Kedavra!" Harry saw the green flash heading for Fleur, he forced his body to act jumping up and wrapping his arms around her. For a brief instant, he saw the shock in her eyes as Emerald met Sapphire and then he saw no more.

'OvO'

Harry opened his eyes, he was standing in front of large gates set into an old stone wall. A small figure was chained to the gates, thin golden links coming from the left side of her chest. The chains held the gates closed and her in place, her hair was red and her eyes green like his. They glowed with an almost feral determination, through gritted teeth she snarled "Go back, tell that monster he will never have you." Her head drooped to her chest which heaved, a thin pair of arms wrapped themselves around her from behind the gates and lovingly stroked her hair.

Harry looked over her shoulder and into the eyes of his father "Dad…? What…" His father stood a little straighter "You have no time for this Harry, your mother gave everything she had so you could live. Your wife needs you more than we do, must run in the family to marry strong women." A bitter chuckle burst from his lips "Strong people can break Harry. Go." Harry turned and ran into the inky blackness, and back into the pain.

He could hear Fleur's cries up ahead but every step was agony. He gritted his teeth and started shouting her name. It seemed like an eternity that he pushed into the darkness, his throat felt raw. The pain was unbearable, suddenly with a feeling of sinking dread it all came back, it was chaos.

'OvO'

Fleur watched the green jet of light fly at her that was to be her death, like a deer in headlights she could not move a muscle. Time slowed and she could swear to feeling each beat of her heart, suddenly she was looking into her Harry's eyes. The emerald green seemed to spread from them and encompass his form, it was not until he went limp in her arms that she registered what had happened. A snarl bubbled up from her chest and she saw red, her wand fell from her hands forgotten landing on Harry.

Cedric and Krum were torn from their indecision when they heard the cry of a wildcat, they ran up the small hillock wands held high. Fleur stood over the crumpled form of Harry, her hair was wild and her hands were moving almost too quickly to follow spitting fire at an alarming rate. A small pudgy man was dodging and weaving sending a spell or two back at her. Cedric levitated a broken headstone into the path of a green jet of light. "We got to cover her Viktor," He received a nod in return.

Fleur hit the little man with one of her fireballs sending him sprawling minus a leg onto the ground next to a bundle. Cedric hardly believed his eyes when a small scaled hand reached out of the bundle and touched something on the man's forearm. Raw pained cries now filled the air from two throats, Fleur and the man's cries of sorrow, despair and pain were counterpoints in a chorus that would haunt Cedric for years to come. Figures started filling the graveyard wearing death eater regalia Cedric had only seen in old news articles.

"Kill them all my faithful!" A high pitched voice shouted from somewhere Cedric could not locate as it bounced off the headstones. Spellfire came from every direction, it was everything he could do to protect the three of them. Viktor had fallen into Fleurs role from the third task, Merlin it seemed like that was a million years ago. Fleur was lighting people up like candles, Cedric watched as she ended the lives of a half dozen masked men.

"Fleur!" tore from Harry's raw throat as he opened his eyes he saw her face, it was terrible and beautiful her pupils had taken over, her eyes were solid black without an ounce of warmth. She had a distant look on her face, her robes had been ripped and torn by spellfire. Harry heard Cedric summon a shield that blocked a spell that was heading at Fleur from her blind spot, from the corner of his eye he saw Viktor sending nasty looking curses back at their attackers but mostly utilizing defensive spells. Cedric grunted as a cutting spell took him in the side, there was a cheer from the death eaters and increased spellfire.

Harry rolled over to Cedric "Merlin, Harry? I thought you were dead." Harry grimaced at him and aimed his wand at his side "Vulnera Sanentur." The wound closed leaving an angry red welt surrounded by blood "Apparently I am not that easy to kill, can you and Viktor cover me and Fleur for a moment?" Cedric looked unsure but nodded standing again. Harry forced himself to stand holding his wand in one hand and Fleurs in the other he wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck just below her ear "I am back Fleur, we need you. I Need you."

He felt her relax into his arms and grip his forearms for a second, the broken voice of a little girl tore at his soul "'arry? Am I dead too?" He gently spun her around and looked into her eyes after a second of searching her sapphire eyes filled with tears "'Arry, I saw you die." Harry gently stroked her cheek and pushed her wand back into her hand "Later Fleur, now we have to fight." She nodded tears now streaming down her face, they turned together. The four champions went to war.

'OvO'

Voldemort could hardly believe his eyes, his triumphant return had been spoiled by a half breed and two school children. He had at first been pleased to see so many of his disciples return to his side, and with such alacrity. Even that was cold consolation now, at least ten of his former followers were smoldering on the ground. The foreign boy had proven to be skilled with cutting curses and had removed the limbs of many others. He had propped himself up enough to watch the battle, suddenly the harpy flagged in her infernal assault a pair of thin arms wrapping around her.

Voldemort smirked in triumph when she turned and weakly embraced a combatant, two fighters taken out of the fight. How weak, a battlefield was no place for weakness. "Macnair, Goyle, Crabbe put them down," He yelled as loud as his homunculus form could manage. His chosen strode forward, their masks flashing, as the girl and the boy who held her turned with their wands up. "Potter! I killed you," he said "Nagini, hunt him," He hissed. Voldemort could hardly believe his eyes. Within seconds Crabbe and Goyle, never the brightest minions he reflected had lost both arms from cutting spells shot from the two young men guarding Potter and his girl. Macnair turned to goad his comrades on when the Potter brat blew his head clean off with a blasting hex.

He had lost more than half his forces in this ill-fated plan. He had never needed the boy's blood, anyone who counted themselves his enemy would have worked. "Lucious! We are leaving!" The pale face of his lieutenant caught sight of his bundled form on the ground grabbed him up barking an order and apparated away from the ambush that had become a killing field.

'OvO'

The champions stood in the sudden silence gasping for breath, Fleur and Harry held onto each other as if worried the other may disappear in a cloud of smoke. Cedric coughed up a small amount of blood "Alive, and whole… I Think." Krum was hunched over his knees taking deep breaths but held up a hand in the okay sign. Cedric looked at Harry and Fleur "You two okay?" Fleur took a deep breath and squeezed Harry's hand firmly in her own "Oui, lost my 'ead for a minute zere. I apologize."

Cedric gave Harry a quizzical look then shook his head, he looked around the field then threw up. He had never seen so much carnage, he saw a form still moving and walked over to see a rat faced man whimpering on the ground. His leg had been burned off cauterizing the wound "Harry, we have a live one!" Harry carefully picked his way through the battlefield with Fleur trailing him. Just as he had almost made it over to Cedric a gigantic snake sprang out of the night at him. With Fleur and Cedric on either side he couldn't do anything but watch as it sailed towards him, he heard a hunting cry that seemed oddly familiar.

Hedwig swooped out from the night and clasped the snake behind the head with her talons and pulled the huge creature up short. Her wings straining to keep the front of its body held airborne "Sectumsempra!" Viktor cried, the spell shooting out and separating the snakes head from its body. A black shade poured from the creature like smoke and wailed its displeasure into the night before fading away. Hedwig dropped the head on the body and landed on Harry's shoulder headbutting him gently on the cheek. Harry reached up and stroked her wing in a daze "What the bloody hell…" Harry whispered looking at each of the Champions in turn.

Harry kicked the snake on the ground shifting it slightly, then stepped over it carefully. He turned and lifted Fleur over, she was unusually light he wondered if it had to do with her avian ancestry. She smirked at him as he set her down then as a pair they turned and looked at the man on the ground "Hello Peter." Fleur shot a stunner at his chest just to make sure he was out, they watched as his body arced slightly as if shocked "We should take 'im back with us 'arry. Sirius will be 'appy to see such an old friend." Harry chuckled darkly "Good idea Fleur, where are we? How do we get back to Hogwarts?"

Viktor called out from behind them "Cup still portkey." The others turned to see him poking the cup on the ground with his wand "We should gather around Peter here and make sure we are all touching, we can summon it over." Harry's idea seemed to meet with general acquiescence, everyone gathered around him and put their hands on his forearm. He grabbed Peter with one arm and aimed his wand at the cup "Accio Cup," as it flew towards him he put his wand in his mouth and snatched it out of the air. The world disappeared in a swirl of color and sound.

'OvO'

The crowd had started to get restless, the cup and the Champions had been gone for almost fifteen minutes. Dumbledore could be seen waving his wand around the stage where the winner had been to appear. Barty Crouch smirked at the display and hid behind part of the hedge maze, he carefully removed the spinning eye and the wooden leg. His body shifted uncomfortably back to his original form. He disillusioned himself and made his way to the gates his master was waiting to reward him greatly. Once out of the gates he turned on the spot and was gone with a pop, the sound lost in the uproar of the crowd.

With a flash of light and a roar of sound, the Champions stood on a stage, the noise of the crowd dropped off as they looked at the bloodied and disheveled state of the young Champions. Blood slowly dripped down Viktors arm onto the stage, the slow tip tap made Harry look at Viktors arm the smallest finger on his left hand was gone, the ring finger had a deep laceration. The stoic Bulgarian must have been actively hiding the wound. Harry shook his head as if dazed, then the world sprung into action as if it had been frozen for a few beats of his heart.

Madame Pomfrey had appeared as if by teleportation waving her wand over Cedric and Viktor, Harry felt Fleur's hand pulled out of his and looked around to see Gabrielle in her arms with her parents running up closely followed by Hermione. He looked around slightly stunned he had almost taken a step away from Fleur when he felt the arms of a mother pull him into a tight embrace "We were so worried, are you whole?" Appoline was looking him over closely as Alain was doing the same to Fleur. Alain summoned a cloak and swept it around Fleurs shoulders, her lingerie had been peeking through holes in her robes. "'Arry? Are you 'urt?" Appolines quiet words pierced his reverie.

"I am fine Appoline, we both are… I think." She held him out at arms length then pulled him in for a comforting hug, Harry realized in that moment that she too smelled like fresh rainfall, but where Fleur smelled of spring flowers her mother had a rosier scent. It was comforting and warm, he hugged her back and cried the image of the red haired woman chained to a gate filling his mind. "Harry, I apologize for interrupting. But I am afraid we must know what happened this night." Harry looked up from Appoline and into Dumbledore's eyes, Alain squeezed his shoulder from behind "Harry, the measure of a man is not what he does when asked. But what he does when no one would dare."

Harry was not entirely sure what Alain meant, but something about the words resonated inside of him. He gave Appoline a last squeeze and straightened his back and looked Dumbledore in the eye as an equal "We were portkeyed into a graveyard." Fleur stepped forward and laced her fingers into his "It was an ambush," Harry simply nodded and continued "Peter Pettigrew and Voldemort laid in wait. I confronted them and was briefly tortured, Fleur tried to stop them." Fleur snorted "No tried 'arry. I did stop zem." Harry squeezed her hand and gave her a loving look "Fleur stopped them, Voldemort cast the killing curse at her and I attempted to leap into its path."

The Delacour's gasped as Fleur once more interrupted Harry's version of events "Non, you jumped in front of it and it killed you. I watched the light and love leave your eyes, I watched you crumple to ze ground." Dumbledore looked older, worried "You are quite sure Harry was struck?" Fleur gave Dumbledore an irritated look and nodded "Certain." Harry managed to finish the rest of his story without interruption, he noticed a growing look of pride and respect in the eyes of Alain Delacour as he looked at his daughter. Harry had left out what he saw while he was dead during his telling he was not sure why but it felt personal.

Dumbledore nodded "Thank you, both of you for reliving it for me. I know that is a most difficult thing to do. It appears the wizarding world has much to thank you all for, Tom has lost much of his support base and the element of surprise." Minister Fudge appeared out of the chaos of the crowd carrying a large bag "Dumbledore, I have been looking everywhere for you," Dumbledore looked down at himself then up at Fudge "I shall endeavor to make myself easier to spot in a crowd Minister. What can I do for you?" Fudge looked irritated "You can tell me who won, and why an international competitor has lost parts of his body and possibly his mind. Thank Merlin the Bulgarian Headmaster has yet to find me, how do I explain that his student is missing body parts and raving about dead dark wizards?"

Harry looked around and noticed that Cedric and Viktor were no longer on the stage or behind them then back to the Minister of magic when Dumbledore started to speak "Harry, Fleur, I suspect I know the answer but who was the first to touch the cup?" In unison, Harry and Fleur spoke: "All of us touched it at the same time, Voldemort…" Harry and Fleur looked at each other and smirked, Fudge did not seem to find it nearly so funny "Don't you start on about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! We can't have four winners!" Dumbledore looked into Fudge's eyes for a few moments then shook his head "Voldemort has returned Minister, we must prepare for the war to come. And as for the winners, a tie is not unheard of, simply extending it to four rather than two should be of little consequence."

Fudge swelled up his face going brick red "You want my job Dumbledore? I can see you trying to grasp for glory again, you can not summon another Grindelwald to defeat and waltz into my office! I will have you up on charges of causing a public panic!" He tossed the bag at Harry, knocking the wind slightly out of him as he righted it with his fast reflexes and clutched it to himself "You can figure out what to do with that. I will not stand here and have my intelligence insulted by a scheming old man and his patsies." Fudge stomped off into the crowd leaving the small group behind him in stunned silence. "He may be the death of us all, the order must be reformed," Dumbledore's statement seemed to be more for himself than anyone else.

Alain stepped forward "Headmaster, we are going to take our family and go now. I believe we all need time to recover." Dumbledore simply nodded cast "Mobilicorpus" on Peter and walked towards the school, the crowd breaking around him unconsciously giving way to the once great man.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not and never will own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Crying Shame.**

 **Author's Note: I Made big promises to continue this at the same pace I had while I was at home in the states. Being abroad comes with many daily challenges, especially the first few months with the language barrier and what not. I have finally beaten the task of managing daily life and a pretty bad case of writers block to bring you guys year five. Forgive me for the wait.**

'OvO'

Alain Delacour took one look at the children under his protection and felt age settle on his shoulders and memories assault his senses. Their eyes were haunted, their faces covered in dried blood and tears. They had seen the face of evil, they had seen the darkest parts of humanity, they had seen war and Alain Delacour was just happy they were walking hand in hand and in one piece. Fifteen years ago when he was young and less wise he had sought out a battlefield.

That night still haunted him, the glassy blank-eyed stare of friends and enemies so alike in death. Somewhere during the first and last battle, he had ever fought he realized that mortality was fragile and morality a paper-thin excuse for carnage. He reached over and gripped his daughter's shoulder, two of his fingers touching her bare skin through a rent in her robes that could have taken her from him forever.

"I wish you would stay within France Fleur, England will not be a safe place soon enough." Alain realized the words had left his lips only when her blue eyes locked on his "I wish a great many things pere, my place is by Harry's side." Alain looked at his daughter and instead of his little girl saw a woman. Not only physically but by her bearing "this tournament has changed you Ma Cherie."

Fleur regarded him then looked away, watching her mother gently stroke the back of Harry's neck with her hand. She could see the many cuts, bruises and burns on Harry's body he had died right in front of her eyes. Her hand tightened into a fist, yes the tournament had changed her "Pere, not all change is equal. Harry does not seek death or battle, unlike you, he can not simply walk away to live a happy life. Fate or life or some snake-faced madman has decided Harry has no choice." Tears gathered in her eyes as her throat closed choking off any more words.

'OvO'

The elder Delacours got everyone back to Fleurs room and gathered all of the belongings in it into the center, they had everyone grab a separate trunk of stuff then put their hand on a medallion they had prepared to get home after the tournament. After an extended portkey travel which felt like it took minutes rather than the customary seconds, they were in France. It was the early hours of the morning, the dark nearly oppressive, Harry had grown used to the light pollution of London. The sound of the ocean filled his ears and he could smell salt on the air, Harry vaguely remembered Fleur talking about living on the sea in her letters. His head was blurry, fatigue had well and truly set in.

Harry fought back to consciousness gasping for air the graveyard fading from in front of him. Fleur had been holding him as he mumbled and thrashed in his sleep for the past few minutes, she had straddled his hips to stop his more violent movements, the night before she had barely managed to get him into her bed before he had passed out. Without removing their clothes she laid down next to him and closed her eyes. Waking to his shouts and an elbow to her chest had been a surprise, she had been saying his name and trying to wake him since. She was too worried about what would happen if she released his wrists to reach for her wand when Harry's emerald eyes flashed open wide and terrified "Fleur?"

She slumped against him in relief and held him, his arms wrapped around her and she could feel his breathing slowing down and hear his heartbeat returning to normal. Harry buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath the scent of spring flowers and rainfall helped him center himself, he ran his fingers through her hair and looked around the bedroom he had woken up in. It was a room that would match a five-year-old little girls imagination when someone asked her where princesses sleep, it was very pink. Harry noticed a small vase on a white bedside table that held a flower he recognized, his present to Fleur from the first year. The fact that he had managed to charm it to stay fresh this long made him smile "Where are we?"

Fleur sat up and looked around her childhood room "Our home in France, zis is my bedroom." Harry looked up at her and chuckled, he snuck a hand into a tear in her robes and tickled her side "So, pink?" Fleur squirmed away from his hand causing pleasant sensations for Harry, she blushed slightly unintentionally matching the decor "My maman decorated before I was born, I never cared enough to change it. Now zat we will share it we should zough…" Harry sat up propping himself up with his arms behind him "Share? Your parents are going to be okay with me sleeping in your room?" The concerned and slightly frightened look on Harry's face made Fleur laugh "'Arry you 'ave fought dark lords but my parents scare you enough to keep you away from me at night?"

Harry grinned at her and rolled her onto her back and look down at her from above, he smiled cheekily and ripped her robes open. They really did not have far to go anyway, the look in her eyes spurred him on. He kissed her forcefully as she squirmed against him pleasantly. They playfully tore each other's nearly destroyed clothes off each other. Harry pushed himself up and admired her naked body, she didn't give him long pulling him back down and wrapping her legs around him. Entering her body and holding her in his arms again was like returning home, Harry slowed when he felt her shaking and looked into her eyes. She was slowly crying as they made love, his Emerald eyes met her Sapphire as she reached up and stroked his cheek "I zought I 'ad lost you forever mon amour." He kissed her with searing passion making them both gasp for air "Never, Fleur. The grave itself could not stop me from being at your side" Fleur chuckled and pulled him further into herself "Zat was… 'ow you say? Cheesy?"

They both laughed, Harry rested his forehead on hers and locked eyes and they slowly made love. Soaking in the comfort of the shared intimacy, the rest of the world faded away as they found each other again. Their souls touching and conversing, comforting and reassuring both that they were still very much alive. The morning light and progression of the day eventually spurred them out of bed. A shared shower that they spent holding each other was necessary to wash away the graveyard, they were finally cleansed body and mind.

They got dressed, Fleur choosing a light summer dress and matching knickers. As she finished dressing she saw Harry looking outside then at his trunk "It will be warm 'Arry, like ze 'ottest days in England… but pleasant. We both need some clothes for ze summer." Harry muttered something she didn't catch but his chagrined look made her chuckle. She watched him choose a thin cotton shirt that would normally be an undershirt for quidditch and a pair of lighter slacks. It was not the most stylish of looks but he would at least be comfortable.

'OvO'

The day was bright and crisp, the sea breeze blowing through his hair and across his skin was a new experience. He looked over the waves, wondering how this had become his life. This time last year he was at school preparing to return to the Dursleys, starvation, and isolation the only things ahead. "We should start discussing ze wedding 'arry. Do you want to 'elp, my maman will run away with it if we let 'er," Fleur's voice shook him out of his reverie. "I would have no idea where to even begin Fleur," he looked away from the sea and at her profile, she seemed at home here. A perfect match to the world around her, in England she was a light in the gloom borrowed from somewhere to lighten his world.

She smirked and looked at him her eyes catching his bringing him back down to earth again, seemed he was spending more and more time in his head since the graveyard. Maybe it was the sharp contrast, or maybe dying had made him introspective. "We do not expect you to suddenly be a wedding planner 'arry. But we would gladly take your input, flavor of ze cake, color scheme?" Harry grinned and nodded while rubbing the back of his neck "Yeah, I can do that. When I agreed I pictured more of just standing in front of people and doing what we did the first time."

Fleur chuckled and rubbed the small of his back "I will reign mother in if you want a small wedding. I have always wanted to stand here where we are now overlooking the sea with family and friends." Harry nodded and looked back to the water "That sounds nice."

'OvO'

Fleur in a bikini was almost better than Fleur out of one, and the waters were warm and full of colorful sea life. The days on the beach and in the water with his new family were a completely new experience for Harry, sometimes he could almost feel the scars of his childhood healing. Their mastery of the bubble head charm came into use, Fleur leading Harry to her favorite places. Harry watched her gracefully swim completely unlike the merpeople in the lake, while they were part of the water flowing and shifting with the currents of the lake Fleur was apart but somehow in harmony.

Harry watched the sunlight ripple through the water and caress her flank. With a grin, he put on a burst of speed and ran his hand along her bicep making her look over her shoulder and grin at him. She pointed in front of her at a small hole in the reef, dodging inside they entered a small underwater grotto filled with light and wildlife. Harry took it in then spun Fleur around pushing his bubble into hers combining them, then kissed her under the sea.

'OvO'

The summer had been flashing by in front of Harry's eyes, he had never experienced one move so quickly. The daily drudgery of living on Privet drive had drawn out each summer until it felt like an eternity. He laid in bed gently stroking Fleurs upper arm as she slept, it was the morning of his birthday and he was not sure what to expect. What had already transpired had made it his best birthday since his first year at Hogwarts when he had first seen Fleur. Her even breathing and gentle smile on her lips as she snuggled into his side were all he wanted to for the day.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead and watched as the eyes he would die for, had died for slowly opened and met his. "'Appy birthday 'arry," she mumbled into his shoulder and stretched. "Good morning Fleur, what are we doing today?" Harry said as he watched her sit up and look around the bedroom and pull on a robe. "'Ouse 'unting 'arry. We do need a place of our own once we get married." Harry grinned and was about to comment on her accent when she threw a pillow at him "Come on, we cannot faire la grasse matinee."

Harry quirked an eyebrow at her going over the translation in his head as he got dressed. They grabbed a quick bite from the house elves on their way out and left a note that they would be back in time for dinner. Fleur grasped his arm and apparated them away once they were outside the house's wards. After Harry recovered from his least favorite form of travel Fleur ushered him into a rather grand looking building and into a fireplace "Ze address is a secret cover your ears," Harry begrudgingly covered his ears and kept his elbows in as they floo'd away.

They arrived in Gringotts, Harry was slightly surprised until Fleur led him to a side hallway with a door labeled "Property purchasing and management." Fleur grinned at him "What better place to live zen ze center of commerce for Britain? We can have a flat above our shop." Harry clasped her hands in his and gave them a squeeze "Great idea Fleur, are you sure you are okay with living outside of France?" Fleur shrugged and pushed open the door "We are young, and our lives will change. I am 'appy in England for now, who knows what ze future 'olds."

The room was small and smelled of vanilla, there was a large leather bound book on a small desk. A goblin sat behind it and looked up momentarily as they entered "If you are here to purchase or rent the properties are listed in the book. If you are here to sell you can sod off, the Goblin nation is not interested in purchasing any properties and if we are we will approach you." Harry and Fleur exchanged looks that almost held a conversation then smirked at each other and sat to flip through the pages of the large book. They seemed to fill themselves in as they looked, most of the properties on offer were in the darker areas such as Knockturn Alley. Harry was surprised to find how large Diagon Alley truly was.

The areas he had been to turned out to be the main street, judging by the listed properties they had to be at least three are four more streets connected. Which made sense if he really thought about it. After flipping through a dozen or more small shops with street names he did not recognize he pointed at one that seemed to be directly across from the bank itself. "Excuse me… er Sir? I did not get your name. Why is this large of a property so close to the bank still available?"

Fleur looked at the listing as the goblin looked at it for a moment then snarled "Snarltooth. Wizards avoid businesses to close to the bank, the last one said it stank of goblins." Snarltooth spit behind his desk making a soft metallic noise "It is a good property, five thousand square meters. Stone lined basement, shop front ground floor and living quarters at the top." Harry nodded slowly "Rent or purchase for that property?" Snarltooth looked at Harry as if weighing him "You would be interested? Purchase only, and the rights for the property only go from the basement up. No digging."

Fleur nodded slowly "Zat shouldn't be an issue, can we see ze property?" Snarltooth moved his gaze to her "Ah a Veela… I suppose one who would wed a Veela would deign to live next to goblins. Yes, the property is unlocked. The only entrance is in full view of the Banks guards at all times." Fleur stood and waited for Harry to rise before taking his arm. He took the hint and they walked out of the bank. They took in the sight of the building in front of them, it seemed to be well cared for. The bottom was river stone that rose to the height of three feet then became dark finely crafted wood.

To Harry's eyes, it looked like a fantasy Inn just larger, the roof looked to be new and had four separate chimneys. They pushed open the door and looked around the first floor, it appeared to be a large empty room. Harry expected to see some support pillars but found none, it seemed illogical that such a large building could stand without them. They ran their hands along the walls as they walked, it felt extremely smooth to Harry. They looked downstairs and saw an open basement with large work sinks and a drain in the center of the room "Potions lab in mind I zink."

Harry silently agreed then headed up the stairs to the living quarters "This place looks perfect if the flat is as nice as the rest…" Fleur squeezed his hand and pushed open the door into the third floor. It was barebones, Harry's heart fell slightly at seeing a kitchen with a stove and counters and empty room after empty room. "It is perfect 'arry," Harry arched an eyebrow at Fleur who chuckled "Do not look at it like it should be ready for us now, look at it for what it could be." Fleur pulled out her wand and started summoning illusions of household goods and wall hangings, within seconds the small section she was working on looked warm and homey.

Harry pulled her towards him and kissed her "Life sure changes quickly with you around Fleur." Fleur chuckled and kissed his cheek "You like it. Besides, zis is all stuff people do when zey leave school and marry. We simply are doing it early and all at once." Harry looked around one last time and grabbed her hand "Okay, let's do it."

'OvO'

They made it home just in time for Harry's birthday dinner, to his surprise the twins, Alicia and Hermione had somehow made it to France. Harry pulled Hermione into a tight hug and got a little teary "Harry, I need air," Hermione managed to squeak out. Harry blushed and released her "Sorry Hermione, it is so good to see all of you. This is the best birthday ever, I've never had anyone there before." George handed him a box that was closed and latched "First of many Harry, the rest of the team is sorry they couldn't make it. This is from all of us."

Harry opened the box slowly, a plaque that read "The Potter Residence" sat inside on a soft cloth. Fleur touched it gently then gave Harry a side hug "We can put it on ze door into ze living area." Fred's head snapped to attention and looked at Fleur in surprise "You two already have a place?" Harry grinned and pulled a large key out of his pocket and handed it to George "Premises in Diagon Alley, we were going to send you a letter. The upstairs is ours." Fred and George both gawped at the key "Harry… you do know it is your birthday we are supposed to give you presents."

Harry laughed and clasped their shoulders and pulled them in for a hug. They sat down to their shared meal, Harry looked around at all the love that he had found in his life. The source of it being a single letter. He kissed Fleur on the cheek and dug into the food made by his mother.

'OvO'

The morning of the wedding Harry awoke without Fleur for the first time since they had married back at Hogwarts. It was a rather odd experience, but one Fleur insisted on because of some tradition. Harry pulled on his dress robes and flattened them out, he double checked himself in the mirror and walked to go check on Hermione. He saw her the second he walked out the guest bedroom he had been assigned for the night, she was tapping her foot impatiently wearing a wizards dress robes with a sapphire blue waistcoat. She did not look pleased with Harry "Really Harry? I thought I made it clear I was a woman." Harry smirked at her and motioned for her to follow him "And I thought I made it clear you were my best man."

Harry and Hermione walked out into the bright summer sun, a large open-sided pavilion provided shade for the small gathering. Fred and George were there with Mr. Weasley, Hermione pointed out her parents to Harry. As he walked to the officiant with Hermione by his side, Gabrielle rocketed into his side and started chattering in rapid fire french "Harry you promised to Marry me too!" Hermione almost snorted as Harry looked down at Gabrielle with wide startled eyes "You are the flower girl Gabby, but I promise when you get married I will be there." She pouted then ran back to her position at the entrance her mood changing in an instant

Harry looked at Hermione who gave him a small smile as the music began to play, nerves gathered in his stomach you would think already being married would have made this easier. Gabrielle came first spreading flowers haphazardly with a small playful smile on her lips, as she got halfway down Harry's eyes were pulled up to Fleur as she walked into the tent. For half a second he thought she had her allure turned up and was worried about the crowd in general, then he noticed the distinct lack of glazed looks and looked back to Fleur. She was gorgeous, her hair curled gently around her shoulders as she almost glowed.

Harry smiled at her and she smiled back as their eyes met as she walked towards him. "You look perfect," Fleur grinned and grabbed his hands looking into his eyes "As do you mon amour." Harry blushed lightly making Fleur squeeze his hands gently, the druid stepped forward and wrapped their hands he gently waved his staff over them as it knotted "I Fleur Isabelle Delacour agree to be bound in magic and love." Harry kissed her making the crowd laugh gently "Your turn first 'arry zen we kiss," Harry smirked and straightened his shoulders "I Harry James Potter agree to be bound in magic and love."

Fleur leaned forward and kissed him this time, it was a soft gentle and caring kiss. The crowd raised their wands as one and each summoned a gently ringing bell, they may not be able to replicate the first acceptance of the hand bonding but it was beautiful all the same. They turned to the crowd and gave a small bow, they walked out of the tent as the twins set off what looked like small cannons shooting confetti and small gold and silver birds into the air that chirped and swooped then disappeared into small clouds of sparkles.

'OvO'

Screams reverberated around the small round room, Dumbledore looked over his small wire-rimmed spectacles at a form bound to a chair "Peter the time is long past where I would hold any mercy for you." The man squirmed in the chair straining at his bindings "I told you everything… everything… he made me... I had no choice." Sobs wracked his diminished form, Dumbledore looked on with disgust. The man's defense was one of weakness, it was oddly effective for what it was. He had questioned him for weeks but gotten nothing but sobbing and self-pity from him. He had hoped to save himself from diving into the filth of Peter's mind but there was little else left to try.

He reached out and grabbed Peter's chin and forced him to look him in the eyes. Peter frantically put up a weak mental defense "Come, Peter, we both know that I will eventually get in there." The calm words relaxed Peter slightly when with surprising reflexes Dumbledore slapped him with great force. The second Peter's eyes widened in shock Dumbledore pushed past his mental defenses and into the murky pool of memories and thoughts behind them.

He let small snippets fly past, a little boy eating ice cream with two mousy individuals smiling at him, a pudgy little boy waiting for the Hogwarts express in plain black first-year robes, the face of Sirius black laughing at some schoolboy prank, then he saw it the eyes of Voldemort. His face still human, he could stop and explore what had made Peter turn on his friends but at this point, it would little matter. He moved on till he found the homunculus form of the modern Riddle. He watched as Peter bowed and scraped, begged and wheedled. "You sacrificed your friends for a life of servitude and scraps, Peter? Not the castles in the sky you were promised I imagine."

He shook his head sadly and pulled two vials off a shelf behind him, he set both on the arm of the chair to which Peter was strapped "The green vial peter is poison, it is painless. The blue vial is used in the medical field to remove traumatizing memories, it is very potent. I believe by my math it will set you back to your fifth year. Before you even knew Voldemorts name. The choice is yours." He turned and walked out of the room the door closing behind him. The bindings on Peters right arm loosened and he looked at the vials, he hesitantly reached out and took the blue vial the substance swirling inside. He looked at the green for a moment, then wondered what it would be like. The image in his head of Lily and James waiting on the other side filled his mind's eye and he quaffed the blue vial. His whole body seized and started to convulse both vials flying across the room and shattering against a wall. His face relaxing and a single tear rolling down his cheek as the room fell still.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, I simply swim in the pool.**

 **A/N: A few people noticed gaps, they are mostly intentional and will be brought back into the story or explained later. I am far from perfect but I do my best to keep it all tied up. Hope you guys enjoy.**

'OvO'

Harry had never had the sensation of being less than excited to return to Hogwarts. But the thought of his summer with his new family winding down was surprisingly painful, Fleur kept reminding him that she would be there with him and Dumbledore had promised to let them have a shared room which did make him feel better. He could hardly remember what it was like sleeping alone, having her comforting presence and warmth nearby was almost essential to his well being at this point, not to mention the fringe benefits. His thoughts must have shown on his face as he very slowly packed his socks, Fleur nudged him with a giggle "Stop zinking dirty zings and pack or we will never get done."

Harry looked up with a guilty blush on his cheeks and went back to packing at a faster pace mumbling to himself. Fleur was pretty sure she caught the words "Newlywed" and "Slave driver" her musical laugh filling the room and drowning out his grumblings. She had been packed for hours at this point and watching Harry slowly pack was getting a little annoying. He refused her help though so she sat back and read through her books. She had some catching up to do, the coursework was different enough that she was picking up some new classes that overlapped with hers enough not to be a total pain. But she was keeping up with her passion of enchanting, she would have to find a tutor willing to come to teach her and time for it but to her, it was worth it.

After what felt like forever to Fleur Harry closed their trunk then snaked an arm around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder reading along with her for a second until she put it down "Good book?" He asked her, "Not particularly 'Arry, but it is necessary." He squeezed her again gently and kissed her neck making her shiver. She turned and locked eyes with him and bit her lip in a way Harry seemed to find fetching "You took too long 'Arry, really your own fault. We leave in…" she silently cast the spell for the time then continued "Eleven minutes merde, 'Arry you do like to cut it close." He winked at her as if there was a joke hidden in there which made her squint at him which set him off into gales of laughter.

Fleur shook her head at the mysteries of men's minds and stood waving her wand making her books pack themselves. Harry finally calmed himself and stood, he straightened out his robes and grabbed the trunk by its handle tapping it twice with his wand making it float a few inches off the ground. He took her hand and they both walked out of the room and into the kitchen, Fleurs family were waiting, Appoline struggling to get Gabriel into appropriate clothing for public "It is cold in England Gabriel, you are going to want your coat." Gabriel frowned and wiggled in the garment "But it is itchy maman." Her mother scrunched her nose at her "It is lined in silk, it is not itchy… Oh 'Arry, Fleur you two are ready?"

Harry smiled and pulled Gabriel to his side, he couldn't help but smirk when he heard her grumbling in French about itchy things and England being too cold "Yes, maman. All packed and ready to go. You guys really do not have to see us off." Appoline gave him an even gaze "We would not miss it 'Arry, our daughters first 'ome." Harry looked at Fleur for help and saw he was not going to get any from there "But we are staying at the Leaky Cauldron our place won't be ready till at least Christmas and we will be here for that." Appoline acted as if he had not spoken and went about last minute checks to make sure everything was in place.

Appoline motioned towards the portkey on the counter, this time it was a small pewter mug. France had not seemed to have gotten the memo to use random pieces of trash. Harry picked it up and looked at it with interest when Fleur put her hand over his touching the handle. He smiled at her and moved it so Appoline and Gabrielle could easily reach it. Gabrielle put her small hand over his the tips of her fingers touching the brim, Appoline smirked at them and touched the side of the mug. Within seconds they were being pulled uncomfortably along by their middles through a maelstrom of color and sensations.

Harry landed hard but swallowed the bile threatening to rise in his gorge, he stood wand drawn and looked around the small pub. Tom stopped sweeping momentarily and looked at the group "Will you and your wife be staying with us, Mr. Potter?" Harry helped the ladies to their feet then looked around one more time then smiled at Tom "Yeah, one room for the two of us, just the night. We have the express in the morning." Tom nodded at them and walked away towards the back as Appoline and Gabrielle brushed themselves off Gabrielle stood there shivering like a wet pomeranian, Harry managed not to laugh at her but just barely.

'OvO'

They had grabbed as much of their school list while they were still in France so they were mainly focusing on a few new additions to the schools required books list. Judging off this year's Defense against the Dark Arts book they were in for a slog. At first glance it looked even less useful then Gadding with Ghouls, Harry personally thought that was impossible but looking at the first few pages it might just be true. It was Gabriel's first trip through Diagon Alley so they had to walk around and show her the sights. It was a rather short-lived tour as she happily kicked her legs and gobbled down ice cream at Fortescue's, confident she had found the best part of England.

Once Gabrielle had had her fill they walked through their new building, the Goblin's watching them with interest as they entered and exited. It was empty as when they bought it Harry was surprised when Appoline talked briefly to one of the bank's guards and got a salute when she rejoined them, He quirked a brow at her but she just smiled and offered to buy them all lunch. After a pleasant lunch with his family Appoline and Gabrielle returned to France, tearful hugs were shared all around Appoline having to tug Gabriel from around Harry's neck and Fleur had to give Harry a handkerchief. Still watching the spot where they had disappeared Harry was startled when Fawkes flamed into existence, Harry stumbled back almost tripping over Fleur. He grabbed his chest and took a few deep steadying breaths as Fawkes inspected both of them.

"Merlin's beard Fawkes, give a guy a warning next time." The Phoenix did not deign to respond as he swirled away in a flash of fire and was replaced shortly with Dumbledore. The old wizard looked different, gone were the flamboyant robes and grandfatherly air in its place were dueling robes and a stern expression. Before Harry could react Dumbledore's wand was pointed directly at his chest "What would I like for Christmas more than anything else?" Fleur responded first "Is zat really a question zat needs to be asked at wand point?" Harry without thinking responded "Socks."

As Dumbledore lowered his wand Fleur looked between the two men "Socks? What? Why are you two acting like zis is at all normal?" Harry chuckled at her reaction as Dumbledore finished putting away his wand "I am most sorry to startle you, Mrs. Potter, I am afraid after what happened at the graveyard we should consider ourselves at war. I was making sure you two were who you appeared to be." It struck Harry what he meant "Oh, asking me something only I would know!" Dumbledore simply nodded, "On the subject of war I am afraid I am here to inform you about one of its early casualties, Your cousin had a run in with a dementor."

Harry looked at him in shock "In little whinging?" Dumbledore nodded slowly as Fleur squeezed his hand gently "Is he..?" Dumbledore nodded again "Yes, he received the kiss roughly a week ago. The muggle doctors seemed to think he had gone into a coma. I was only informed when the ministry tried to accuse you of being present at the time." Harry's head snapped up "Me? How… why? I have been in France for months with dozens of witnesses." Dumbledore's lips quirked up into a tiny smile "As they have been informed, our newest Defense against the Dark Arts teacher was most upset. While I am here I might as well inform you that position has been filled by the government, Cornelius has decided I can not be trusted and I believe you are also a target. They will try to disavow that Tom Riddle has returned, and anyone that counters their story will have their reputation attacked. Cedric Diggory and yourself will most likely have your characters and veracity questioned. I suggest you do not let Dolores Umbridge see any weakness."

Harry nodded slowly looking at Fleur who gave him a small half-hearted smile. Dumbledore squeezed his shoulder briefly "I understand you and your cousin were not close, regardless I am sorry for your loss. I am busier than ever and must return to my duties, remember Harry, every action you make this year will be closely watched. We can not afford for you to lose your temper in front of the new Defense teacher I daresay she won't make that easy. I wish you both a good day." Before Harry could gather a response Dumbledore turned on the spot and disappeared in a flash of flame. "Well that is just great, the new teacher is a snitch. No wonder this year's textbook looks about as useful as a flubberworm." Fleur simply rubbed his back and lead him up to their room, a private meal was in order.

'OvO'

They woke up the next day before the sun was up, it would take them time to get the Hogwarts Express and they did not want to be in a rush. They both spent some time over their trunk, the fact they would have their own room simplified things. Fleur flicked her wand and watched their clothing from yesterday fold themselves as the dust and dirt from the day before sifted out of them and out the window. She carefully placed them into the trunk and double checked everything, once she was satisfied she closed the lid and turned the key opening it again to show their school supplies on top then closed it again with one last turn of the key showing their prepared school uniforms, hers were still solid black like the first years.

With a satisfied smile she closed it as Harry exited out the restroom and walked over to the door opening it for her, she picked up the trunk activating its travel features so it floated a few inches off the floor and followed her. They went down to the main room and spotted Tom "Will you be having breakfast with us, Mr. Potter?" Harry grinned at Tom and helped Fleur into her chair "Sure Tom, we have some time, whatever you have ready." Tom dipped his head "Of course Mr. Potter I am sure we can rustle something up for you and your lovely wife. Just give me a tick." He bustled off into the back, the clanging of pots and pans could be heard.

Harry sat himself down next to Fleur and took her hand "Are you ready for your first day at Hogwarts?" Fleur shrugged and squeezed his hand lightly "I do not know 'Arry, I am a little nervous." Harry rubbed her back "Do not stress it Fleur, I will go with you across the lake and it does not matter what house you're in since we will be rooming together." She gave him a weak smile "I know 'Arry, still going to try for Gryffindor. We would sit together at every meal." The food arrived on Toms's arm, the classic English breakfast. Harry started eating with excitement but noticed Fleur picking at hers "A little heavy for your taste?" Fleur made a face at him that made him guffaw "Okay, wrap some bacon in a napkin. We can grab some food from the cart on the train, I will talk to Dobby about providing us some French cooking for you throughout the year." The grateful look on her face told Harry he had at least resolved some of her worries.

They both took a side of the trunk and carried it together out the door, it weighed almost nothing with the spellwork on it but they were passing through a few blocks of muggle London. The trip there was relatively quiet, it was still early in the morning but they did see a few people passing them. With Harry's improved wardrobe and Fleur's good looks they got a few smiles and nods, it was unusual not being ignored. As they approached the outside of King's Cross they spotted a head of bushy brown hair, Harry dropped his side of the trunk and ran over to Hermione grabbing her arm from behind causing her to shriek and jump.

She turned quickly and was grasping her chest "Harry you scared the wits out of me!" He just grinned at her "I haven't seen you since the wedding, how was your summer?" Harry was about to respond when he saw Hermione's eyes go round looking at something behind him, he turned and spotted Fleur talking to a youngish man in a suit. She was smiling and waving her hands as she talked. As they watched the man attempted to pick up the trunk, he strained at it and looked at it surprised. Harry almost laughed "Without the feather-light spell going that thing must weigh a ton." Hermione pushed him a little "Harry you left Fleur alone with a heavy trunk, she is drop dead gorgeous. Every guy within ten miles would jump out of a moving vehicle to help her out." Harry's smile faded as he realized Hermione was right, he grabbed the cart her dad was about to use and took off with it with an apologetic look over his shoulder.

"Hey Fleur I got the cart!" he yelled as he jogged over, the look on her face told him he was going to get an earful "As you see my friend was just getting a cart, we are okay. Zank you for your concern." The man smiled at Harry then looked back to Fleur "Okay, well if you and your brother have it under control…" He pulled out a business card "Why don't you give me a call and we can grab a drink?" Fleur took the card and squeezed the mans bicep then lifted the trunk onto the cart. Harry saw the man's eyes widen as he walked away watching Fleurs posterior, he almost ran into a light post before turning a corner. Fleur started to push the cart towards Hermione "Come on Harry, we can get Hermione's bags on here as well." Harry caught up with her as she pushed the cart back into place by the boot of Hermione's parent's vehicle.

"Sorry about zat, Mr. and Mrs. Granger" She gave Hermione a small hug then turned to be introduced officially "Mum, Dad, This is Fleur and Harry." Harry stepped forward and shook Mr. Granger's Hand "Pleasure to meet you, sir, thank you for letting Hermione come to our wedding." Mr. Granger looked at Hermione and raised his eyebrows "Hermione you said…" Mrs. Granger stepped forward and took Fleur's hand cutting off her husband "A pleasure to meet you both, I am Emma and my husband is Dan. Please use our first names, I understand that you will be part of our daughter's life for years to come." Fleur smiled and Harry shook her hand as well, Dan was still looking between Harry and Fleur and then at his daughter. Fleur chuckled "Mr. Granger, Dan… I understand your confusion. I am only half human, I look older than I should."

Hermione bumped her father with her shoulder "Dad I told you about them, don't try to put muggle reasoning on it." He slowly nodded then shook his head as he hefted Hermione's trunks on top of the one already on the cart. Hermione went into the back seat and pulled out the wicker basket containing Crookshanks. She gave her parent's quick hugs, Harry watched as they made their goodbyes there was something magical about family he was even more determined to have it. Hermione waved to her parents as they drove off then turned on Fleur and Harry "So, talking about illicit three-somes did I see Fleur get that cute guys number?" as Harry stood there with his mouth open the girls burst into giggles, they looked at Harry and the giggles turned into gales of laughter.

'OvO'

Harry and Fleur had managed to find an empty compartment on the train, they stowed their trunk and sat next to each other Fleur watched Harry's face for a few moments "'Arry, I took 'is card so 'e would move on faster." She pulled it out of her pocket and flames engulfed it from her fingertips, she threw it in the air as it finished combusting. Harry watched the ashes float through the air then settle onto the carpeting "I knew that." He mumbled, his foot shot out and ground the ashes into the floor "Sorry about leaving you with the trunk." Fleur squeezed his hand and had just turned his face to her with one finger when the door opened, she saw Alicia and Angelina in the hall and kissed Harry anyway.

The wolf whistle from around the corner let her know the twins were just out of her eyeline, she pulled back and rolled her eyes as they poked their heads around the corner "Safe to come in? Not interrupting anything are we?" Their twin eyebrows danced and wiggled on their foreheads as they made obscene gestures, Fleur smirked as they jumped simultaneously with yelps. The girls still had their hands out from pinching them, the twins rubbed their backsides "Oy! That's boyfriend abuse that is!" They said in unison making Harry and Fleur laugh "Come in everyone, plenty of room."

Everyone filed in, Angelina was the first to notice Hermione's absence "Where is Hermione?" Harry looked at her trunk next to his "She got prefect this year, she should be by in a little bit." Everyone nodded as if that should have been obvious "Wonder who the other new prefects will be" Harry wondered out loud. Fred snorted "Surprised you aren't one yourself Harry, Although I suppose it's always the rule following types." Harry snorted "And I have broken rules that hadn't even written yet." George nodded "You don't want it anyway, just a bunch of meetings and marching around the castle at night to catch people snogging in broom closets." Fleur's eyes flashed mischievously "Been caught out a few times?"

George blushed as did Angelina, before the line of questioning could be followed further Hermione opened the door and plopped down next to Fleur she looked more annoyed than Harry could remember seeing her. "Whats up?" he asked innocently, she groaned and leaned forward "Guess who the other prefects are, wait don't, I will just tell you. Malfoy and Pansy for Slytherin, talk about abuse of power." Harry looked a little green at the news "Blimey that could be unpleasant." Hermione nodded slowly and rested her head back closing her eyes, Harry watched her silently then had a thought "So who is Head Boy and Girl?" Without opening her eyes she mumbled "Cedric and Penelope Clearwater." Harry relaxed visibly "At least Cedric will reign them in a bit, and Penelope has been nothing but nice to me."

The twins nodded slowly "Cedric is a good choice, Penelope dated Percy for a while but he opted for books and government job dreams over her. She might hold a grudge against the Weasleys." Harry snorted and shook his head, the girls in the compartment gave Harry a side-eyed look thinking the scenario may hold more water then he thought. They heard the call to get into school robes, everyone but Hermione hopped up to change.

Fleur summoned some curtains dividing the room for privacy then pulled out her robes, Angelina's voice came from somewhere to there right "So Fleur, are you going to ask the hat for Gryffindor? We would love to have you in the dorm." Fleur stripped out of her street clothes quickly with Harry watching her, she smirked at him "Requests are allowed?" Harry nodded silently and ran his hand down her flank then pulled off his own street clothes and pulled his robes on. "Well, not really. But I have never heard of anyone being upset about the house they were put in, and there are rumors that you can insist on going to one and the hat listens." Harry watched with disappointment as Fleur's robes covered her then spoke up "The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, I insisted on Gryffindor." There were several surprised gasps from around the compartment "Seriously?" one of the twins asked "Yeah, said I would be great in Slytherin, but I had already met Malfoy."

Fred poked his head through the curtains and made an exaggerated face of disappointment that Fleur was already dressed "Well thank Merlin for that Harry, I don't think our chances would have been great without you as seeker" Fleur pushed him back through the curtains with the heel or her hand "Everyone changed?" General assent was heard and she removed the curtains with a wave just as Angelina's robes finished settling around her calves. Alicia giggled at Angelina's face blush lightly "So, going to ask for Gryffindor then?" Fleur nodded slowly "I won't be in the dorms zough even if I get Gryffindor, me and 'Arry were approved for shared quarters."

Fred looked perplexed "How did you manage that and how do we apply?" He leered at the girls, Fleur chuckled and Harry shook his head "You would have to get married first, I guess you are all of age. So there's really just the whole betrothal and ceremony bit." Fred and George looked at each other then shook their heads "Bit rich for our blood Harry…" The girls looked relieved. George perked up "But you will have private quarters, we could have parties. Or a private place to hang out." Fleur shook her head "Zat is our place, of course, you are all welcome to visit but we will not be setting up a flop 'ouse. Besides, you already have an apartment in your trunk."

George looked a little deflated "Yeah… we spend most of our time in there but we can't get girls into our dorm room." Harry looked thoughtful for a minute "Have you tried taking it into the common room and having the girls go in then carrying it up to your rooms?" The twins looked at each other then facepalmed "Harry… Genius."

'OvO'

Sirius had been on this damnable mission for months at this point, missing his godson's wedding was bad enough but slinking through the underworld of the magic community made his skin crawl. He had been making thorough notes so he could come back through with law enforcement when his name was cleared, having street cred as an insane mass murderer gave him protection to a surprising degree he reflected as we walked through the darker parts of Diagon Alley. A woman held a tray out to him "Fantasies ala carte love, pop it in polyjuice and have a night with or as anyone you wish. Who do you fancy?" Sirius glanced at the tray full of bits of hair, nail clippings, teeth and other less pleasant bits. He fought to keep his face neutral, nodding at her as he went past without a word.

He slid into a dingy pub without a sign on the door and sat at a back booth with a man in rags already at the table. "You look like shit Sirius." Sirius chuckled ruefully "Not looking much better yourself Moony, what's the word? I have heard whispers about a jailbreak, I think me being out may be giving the wrong people ideas." Remus nodded slowly then sniffed at the air, seemingly satisfied he spoke in a low voice "Dumbledore has our oldest and smallest friend, he is waiting for a strategic and politic moment to push the issue."

Sirius snarled and grasped the edge of the table his knuckles going white, Remus held up a hand forestalling any words "I understand, but the second we bring him out your credibility down here is gone. And Fudge is playing dangerous games with dangerous people right now, if we can wait to play our hand…" Sirius slapped the table in frustration startling Remus "Okay, I get it, doesn't mean I have to like it." Remus gave him a squeeze on the shoulder as he stood to walk out "I will be out of touch for a while, it's that time of the month and then I am going to talk to some of the packs." Sirius patted him on the hand, Remus set a copy of Teen Witch Weekly on the table with a page earmarked then walked away.

Sirius opened it to the page, the eye-blistering pastel and pink made him blink a few times. Emblazoned on the centerfold was "Zero's not Hero's" He started to read the article his face breaking out into a grin.

 ** _Zero's not Hero's_**

 _No one likes to imagine that they are the villains of the world. But what do we think when over ninety percent of the known forces of He-who-must-not-be-named came from the house of Slytherin? Do we simply shrug and chalk it up to happenstance? How many of the house of Slytherin have gone on to lead worthwhile lives? Are they really the house of the ambitious? Or are they the house of the wealthy who sit on the vaults of their ancestors. This reporter dug into public records to track down the graduating classes for the last twenty years, you read that right two decades._

 _What I found will shock you! Out of all the houses of Hogwarts, the House of Slytherin are the most likely to be incarcerated by odds of 6-1. For the house of the ambitious Azkaban must be pretty far from their dreams. Not only are they incarcerated at staggering rates but they are more likely to be killed during terrorist activities or found dead from mysterious causes by a whopping 16-1 ratio compared to all three other houses put together. It is looking more like the house of murderers and thieves. One thing is for sure if this girl reporter had a chance to do it all over again, I would leave Hogwarts in shame rather than accept the green and silver._

The article included mug shot after mugshot of ex-Slytherins and a few disturbing pictures of deceased individuals still wearing their school colors. Sirius couldn't help it he threw back his head and laughed with manic glee. The few patrons in the dirty pub looked at him uneasily, quickly paid their tabs and left.

'OvO'

Malfoy sauntered down the train his chest stuck out with his polished prefects badge leading the way "Tie your shoes Terry or that will be a detention for you!" He smirked as the boy scurried out of his way and into a compartment. "Now this is the proper respect due to a scion of the house Malfoy." He stated smugly to his ever-present bodyguard who simply nodded in agreement with vacant looks on their faces. The two had been quiet ever since their fathers had been killed, Malfoy's eyes lit up maliciously.

"Come on you two, it's payback time." He led them down the train till he found the compartment he was looking for, he surreptitiously looked inside and saw it was in face Potter and his group of misfits he leaned over to Crabbe and Goyle "We grab the first one out and work them over, I'll keep the rest contained." They waited as the train slowed for its stop in Hogsmeade when the door snapped open and two girls walked in quick succession. Trying to follow orders Crabbe and Goyle grabbed one each, Malfoy quickly slammed the door and locked it.

'OvO'

The group stood inside the compartment slightly stunned, Alicia and Angelina and been yanked out with yelps and the door slammed out of nowhere. Harry glanced around and saw wands being pulled out George's face was red and the tip of his wand glowed Harry had never considered the twins anything but smiling, laughing, jokesters. Before George could get his wand all the way up Fred bellowed "Bombarda!" Harry managed to get a shield up just in time to cover himself and the others. Fred stood grinning covered in small cuts from the wooden splinters and other shrapnel a large hole in the compartment showed a bloodied but still standing Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle wrestling with the girls. Neither one seemed prepared for two athletic girls at the peak of their physical abilities. Harry saw the twins wands raise once more and shouted "Bludger!" every quidditch player in hearing except the twins, human bludgers themselves, ducked into a wary crouch.

The twins spells sailed over the captive girl's heads and connected with Crabbe and Goyle both slammed into the flimsy walls behind them and crumpled into unconscious heaps. Malfoy stood slowly from his crouch and looked at the array of wands aimed at him and snarled "You all have detention! Attacking a prefect in the course of his duties!" No one lowered their wand. Seconds crawled past with Malfoy standing bloodied and tattered but holding a superior look until from down the hall someone approached "Malfoy, would you explain what is going on?"

"They attacked me in the course of my duties." Cedric looked around at the mess in front of him "Would someone kindly tell me what happened?" Fleur spoke up first "Ze boy zere and 'is goons grabbed Angelina and Alicia out of ze compartment." Angelina stood looking a little worse for the wear "These two grabbed us as we exited the compartment to head to the front… they started punching me the second I was out." Harry piped in "And Malfoy locked the door so we couldn't help them."

Cedric turned on Malfoy "What duty requires that you beat up two seventh year girls?" Malfoy opened his mouth, hesitated for a second "My father…" Cedric cut him off with a sidewards cut of his hand "I saw your father across the field of battle, Malfoy, He took that baby monster that is your master and ran." Malfoy looked around the wreckage around him and walked quickly towards the front of the train, Cedric looked after him in disbelief, he called after him "I will be requesting you lose your badge Malfoy!" After a few moments, he turned and looked at everyone "Are you guys okay?"

Everyone nodded including Alicia and Angelina, Angelina nudged Goyle with her boot "They may be big but they sure as hell don't know how to throw a punch. The explosion hurt more." Fred looked sheepish "Sorry about that." They managed to magically repair the door and wall, Fleur was good with mending charms. Hermione healed the small cuts and bruises on the girls who then patched up their own robes. Everyone exited the train, they were almost the last ones off.

Harry looked around and saw Hagrid he waved at the giant of a man and took Fleurs hand "I will see you guys at the castle, I am going to see if Hagrid will take us across. It is a magical way to see the castle, can't have Fleur missing out on the whole experience." Everyone waved at them and headed for the last carriage in line. Harry and Fleur made it over to Hagrid "Hey Hagrid, Fleur transferred here. Do you think we could go on the boats with the first years?" Hagrid waved a shovel-sized hand and helped them onto a boat with a single first year staring at them wide-eyed "Do they really make you wrestle a troll?" Came a quavering voice from the other end of the boat. Fleur and Harry both looked over at the small girl, she was in solid black robes like Fleur had black hair and striking green eyes. Fleur looked at her seriously "I very much hope not, I did not bring my troll wrestling pants." The girl quirked a smile at the joke, Harry leaned forward "That same rumor was around my first year, you just put a hat on your head. And you can ask it to put you in a house if you want to." The tension seemed to run out of her body as the boat started to move across the lake, they talked as they took in the large castle looming in the twilight with its many windows and lanterns "My mum says your not human."

Harry looked at her taken back "Me?" Fleur squeezed his arm gently "I am part Veela, but also part human. Mostly I am just pretty." The girl sighed "I wish I was pretty." Fleur smiled at her "You are, you know who we are… what's your name?" the girl seemed to consider Fleur for a moment "Emma Flint." Harry looked away from the castle "Related to Marcus?" Emma nodded slowly "He has always been mean to me, thank Merlin he graduated last year." Harry smirked, he was of a similar opinion. He never looked forward to facing that troll on the pitch.

Fleur moved and sat next to Emma "What house do you want to be in?" Emma looked at the castle as they approached "My family expects me to be in Slytherin." Harry moved to the back of the boat glad that it was magic and wouldn't flip on them "That wasn't really the question, it is your choice. Which house do you want?" she looked thoughtful "If I could go to anyone it would be Huffle Puff, they are the best." Fleur chuckled at the look on Harry's face then nudged the younger girl gently with her shoulder "Then I think you should tell that to the hat." Emma nodded absently and looked up at the castle as they pulled up to the shore, she seemed to be deep in thought. Once they were firmly aground she scrambled out of the boat and over to a group of girls who went deep into discussion.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

 **A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying the story.**

'OvO'

Harry and Fleur walked up to the castle hand in hand behind the gaggle of first years. When they got to the top Harry gave a small wave to Mrs. McGonagall who gave him a tight smile in return, Harry fancied he saw a small twinkle in her eye. He squeezed Fleurs hand quickly and gave her a kiss on the cheek that made the first year girls giggle, he turned and hurried inside but not before Fleur noticed a blush on his cheeks. She chuckled to herself and looked at the others around her, she towered over them, they just looked so young.

Emma whispered something to a friend and three girls stepped closer to her, a girl with mousy brown hair spoke first "Can you really tell the hat what house you want to be in?" Fleur leaned over slightly and gave her a dazzling smile, luckily the boys in the room were too young to be affected by her, "I zink zat ze 'at will 'onor your wishes" she made a face and picked her words carefully "I was told your sorting was for you, and no one else." By the end the whole group of first years were paying attention to her words, Mrs. Mcgonagall stepped forward and cleared her throat "Mrs. Potter is correct, no one in Hogwarts history has ever been forced into a house they did not want to be in. It is time, please step through the door and walk towards the stool when called. You will pick up the sorting hat and place it upon your head until it announces your house. You will then join them at the proper table, they will be cheering for you."

Fleur stepped into the grand hall, the same room she had eaten in hundreds of times, this time felt different. She looked around the large room and saw the long tables full of people eager to see where the new students would go, she found Harry with her eyes and saw him wave at her. Hermione and the whole Quidditch team were doing the same, she had friends here, for the first time since her first year she was going to be happy at school. Students started to be called, she watched as one by one they slowly went to the front "Hufflepuff!, Gryffindor!, Gryffindor!, Ravenclaw!"

By the time Fleur was called two-thirds of the first years had been called and not a single Slytherin had been chosen, Fleur was happy to see Emma Flint go to Hufflepuff like she wanted. Before she knew it she was standing before the stool, she nervously took the hat sat down and placed it on her head, she was too old for it to fall over her eyes so she looked over the great hall as she sat "Ah… this is new, a Veela aye?" Fleur was a little disconcerted by the weird feeling of the hat crawling through her mind "Oui, I would very much like to be placed in Gryffindor." The hat chuckled inside her head, an odd sound of cloth on cloth "Ah is the student body starting an anti sorting hat insurrection? No matter, you have plenty of courage. Faced death itself to protect what you love, you will do GRYFFINDOR proud."

Fleur made it to Harry's side and sat down resting her head on his shoulder for a second, she looked up when the hall filled with whispers. There were three students left to sort, Fred, leaned across the table "Not a single Slytherin yet, even if all three go to Slytherin that's a sparse year." The group nodded slowly "Hufflepuff!, Ravenclaw!" The room went silent as the last student walked towards the stool, a skinny brown haired boy named John Dippet. He grabbed the sorting hat and sat on the stool, he looked at the entire school staring at him with bated breath and let the hat fall over his eyes "Ravenclaw!"

The room was silent as John Dippet carefully removed the hat and looked around the room. Luna Lovegood stood and stamped and whistled as if she was not the only one, John honed in on her and scampered to the Ravenclaw table and sat down quickly. Snape swept over to Dumbledore and started speaking quietly to him, the student body watched in fascination. It was clear after a few minutes that Snape was not going to get his way Dumbledore waved him off and stood "Welcome one and all to a new school year…" Dumbledore stopped for a second as a short squat woman in pink at the head table cleared her throat "we are so.." he was cut off again "ah… hem."

She stood, which was hardly noticeable and pulled out a sheaf of papers "Thank you, headmaster… I am very glad to be here this year, representing both myself and the ministry…" The hall burst into conversation, Harry turned towards Fleur and the others. To his surprise, Hermione was still paying rapt attention. Harry shrugged and ran his fingers over Fleurs robes touching the Gryffindor colors "Relieved?" Fleur grinned and nodded "Oui, it was a little stressful. Ze first years asked me if it was true you could ask ze 'at to put you in a 'ouse, I told zem I was told so, Mrs. McGonagall agreed with me." Katie, Angelina, and Alicia heard her and leaned in "You mean it was you that caused all that? Not a single Slytherin, I wonder what they will do." Katie looked at the everyone, in turn, waiting for an answer, no one seemed to have one to give her.

Food appeared on the table and Hermione was suddenly paying attention "Well that was… enlightening." Harry snorted as he loaded his plate "You listened to all of that?" Hermione looked irritated as she started to get her own meal "Of course I did, Harry if you don't listen to idiots you will never know what they are wrong about." The group laughed and Harry motioned with his hand for her to hurry up and share "Oh fine, she said the ministry was interfering at Hogwarts" Harry snorted into his pumpkin juice "Dumbledore told me that yesterday, glad I ignored her." As dinner wrapped up and Hermione stood to gather the first years to show them to the dorm Harry watched as Malfoy and Pansy stood around looking slightly lost. Snape was back arguing with Dumbledore, Harry knocked a cup off the table with his elbow and crawled after it towards the head table.

"What do you want me to do Severus? Force them to put the Sorting Hat back on until you have a sufficient amount of new students?" A pair of boots with pointed tips came into his eye line Harry could almost see the desire in one to tap impatiently "Mr. Potter, if you are quite done I have been informed you are to be assigned shared quarters." Harry looked up into Mrs. McGonagall's eyes, he snapped up the goblet and stood setting it on the edge of the table where it disappeared to be washed in the kitchens. Fleur stepped forward and took his hand "Oui Madame McGonagall, we would appreciate being close to the Gryffindor common room if possible."

'OvO'

Madame Bones stepped into the graveyard with Albus a few steps behind, the area had been cordoned off and preservation charms placed across the area "One more time Albus if we are to keep this secret for any longer you are going to need to prove to me that it is a matter of national security. Without access to the children for interviews…" Albus Dumbledore held up her hand to forestall her "Amelia I am afraid the other witnesses are either too politically vulnerable or dead. Lucius made it off this field in one piece or we would be in a much less precarious situation." Amelia looked around the same field she had gone over herself countless times this summer "Albus if I am to bring charges against Lucius Malfoy it damn well better be airtight, so far the only evidence I have seen is of a splinter group of former death eaters and another group of combatants having one hell of a dust-up."

Albus looked at her over his half-moon spectacles "The fact some of those men were cleared at the end of the last war under the defense of being imperiused does not raise any eyebrows?" Amelia snorted "Not when the second most important man in our government is one of those individuals, Albus." He nodded and raised his wand, Amelia watched with interest. Albus Dumbledore was a legend, and it was not just for defeating Grindelwald as his detractors constantly touted. She watched with intense interest as he waved intricate patterns and mumbled words almost caught, slowly what appear to be ghosts arose from the ground.

It wasn't until Amelia spotted the well-known visage of Harry Potter in a pile of others that she realized what she was watching. He slowly stood and said something to those on the ground, then looked off further into the graveyard. She walked in the direction his eyes led and saw a short pudgy man in the middle of a short duel that ended with Potter being sent to the ground, the ghostly figure seemed to be in a great deal of pain. She watched as a Valkyrie of a woman stood over him as he stood and slumped again. The graveyard filled with more than a dozen new figures, Albus raised his wand slightly and the replaying scene slowed to a crawl "If you would direct your eyes over here Amelia you will notice this masked figure has a walking cane that I think you might recognize." she approached and looked at the spot he had indicated, the ethereal cane made her eyes widen and her monocle slip.

'OvO'

Mrs. McGonagall pursed her lips and turned on her heel, she walked out to the entrance hall. Harry watched Snape march over to his prefects just as they left, a few more seconds and he would have gotten to watch the fun. He realized Mrs. McGonagall had been talking "I believe that will not be an issue, in fact, the very idea that your rooms would be outside of Gryffindor tower itself is absurd. There would be no accountability, it just would not do."

Harry took Fleurs hand as they walked after her and suppressed the urge to smirk, it was him that suggested they ask that figuring if he had never seen any quarters for married students they did not exist. As they approached the entrance to the tower the fat lady stirred and gave a small nod of her head to Mrs. McGonagall and swung open. As Harry remembered it there was a small square room hardly a few feet long between the portrait entrance and the round common room, the tower much like the rest of the school seemed to have the ability to change at need. The small entrance way he had always mentally labeled as a place to check to make sure you had everything before you left had elongated slightly, there was now a door on either side.

She motioned towards the door which lacked a handle, in its place a simple bronze plate "If you would both touch your rings to the placard." Harry and Fleur both reached forward and touched the door slowly with their rings with a small click as each touched metal to metal. Mrs. McGonagall tapped it with her wand twice making it glow slightly, she nodded and pushed it open and ushered them inside. It was a small but comfortable space, this room was clearly a small living space with a couch a fire and a coffee table there was a door in the back leading to a second room. "The password for the fat lady is 'Mimbulus Mimbletonia' and you are both expected to be a part of House Gryffindor, from what I could tell last year you conducted yourselves with restraint. Please continue, you are allowed to have guests, in fact, I encourage it. It will demystify your living space, do not leave anyone in here alone."

She looked around and then nodded to herself and reach for the door to leave, she looked over her shoulder "Congratulations on your nuptials, Fleur you might consider a mastery in charms. I am sure Professor Flitwick has been dying to discuss your Bubble-Head charm from the second task. It would keep you in the castle for a few more years." She looked at them for a second searchingly then left, the door swinging shut behind her. Fleur looked at Harry and arched an eyebrow "What do you zink?" He pushed open the door to the bedroom and saw a large four poster bed that looked like a larger version of the one he had in the tower and another door on the opposite side of the room "Looks nice, I will miss the carriage a bit."

Fleur walked over and rubbed his arm looking into the room "I agree, but not what I meant. About a charms mastery?" Harry turned and looked at her, his eyes meeting hers "It would be nice, to have you around. I tried not to think too much about it last year, just imagined you and the twins would start our business without me." Fleur nodded slowly "I zought so too, but zis is better. Ze twins can start, and we can offer ideas and assistance. But we will be together ze whole time." Harry nodded slowly "Would be nice, and it would be a shame to let your talents go to waste." She nodded and squeezed his arm and pushed past him into the bedroom, it was not France but with Harry here it would be home. She walked over to the door and opened it into an ensuite, she was not sure if she would have preferred that or a decent sized closet.

They both turned when they heard a knock at the door, Harry walked over and opened it a crack he unconsciously took a step back, half of Gryffindor tower were trying to see past George and into the room "Harry, any chance we could see your room?" George asked in a stage whisper making the people behind him chuckle. Harry turned his head "Fleur, most of Gryffindor would like a tour." She hung her head and shook it gently a few times then motioned to let them in, Harry looked back out the door and called out "Okay guys, we can't fit all of you and please just look into the bedroom." Harry swung the door wide open and George came in first followed by the Quidditch team and a gaggle of the older years.

George and Harry stepped to the side by the fireplace while Fleur held open the restroom door so people could see into it from outside the bedroom "Nice digs Harry, not enough room for a party or anything…" Harry chuckled "We can still have dinner in here with friends if we want, haven't tried yet but I imagine expansion charms will work to an extent." George nodded to himself as they watched people poke their heads in and sate their curiosity. Fleur was entertaining the girls from the team who had been allowed to enter the bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed "Guess its better they get it all out now rather than harass us for the rest of the year" George nodded, "At least a chunk of it anyway, Fred is trying out a new gag and if I know Hermione she is already nose deep in a book. The younger years most likely won't have the guts to bother you."

Harry had noticed a certain lack of faces from the third year down "We got a big lot of first years this year, wonder how they are going to manage that." George grinned "You see Snape's face? Not a single Slytherin this year. I am more curious about how they are going to manage that then a few extra in the other houses. Charlie told me that when he was here they had much bigger classes and dorms, it was the first war with Voldemort that chased people out of Britain and killed a chunk of the rest. That's why a lot of the castle is not in use either." Harry nodded to himself "I had noticed every year after mine having more and more students, I guess people felt safe having kids again."

The room had quickly emptied, curiosity only lasts so long when it is evident that it was just more of the same. Harry closed the door and walked with George into the bedroom where the girls were still chatting "...did you see the article in Teen Witch Weekly?" Katie was saying as she pulled a magazine out of her bag. Fleur took the magazine and started to read as the other girls watched her, Harry went on tip toe to read over her shoulder. George sat down on the edge of the bed and chuckled as he watched their faces "Well that explains a lot…" Harry said. George took the magazine next, as he read Katie leaned back on the bed "You think that is bad, you should see the Quibbler."

"Ze Quibbler?" Fleur inquired, which made Katie nod vigorously "Its a magazine full of crazy conspiracy theories. A lot of people buy it for their kids because it makes them laugh, My dad bought me a lifetime subscription I liked it so much when I was little." Angelina nudged her with her shoulder "Which explains why you know what is in it now right?" Katie blushed and threw her hands in the air "Fine, I still read it. It is funny." She glared at Angelina "Anyway, the article in there listed out crimes of famous Slytherin's. It was insane, everything from mail owl tampering to murder. Stuff that was hushed up or someone disappeared before they could go before the Wizengamot. You might hear of one or two things and put them together and wonder about a person but laid out in black and white all at once it's hard to deny."

George waved his hand in a circle to get her to get on with it, she rolled her eyes "Fine, Snape, Malfoy's father, the head of the department of disposal of magical animals and the floo network. All have long criminal histories. Two of those were found dead, chopped into pieces over the summer. Someone is making sure that the public knows where the rot in the wizarding world is coming from. I heard people in Diagon Alley talking about doing background checks on every Slytherin, just for being Slytherins." George whistled under his breath, the others nodded in silent agreement.

'OvO'

Harry steeled himself to enter what once was his favorite class, an oasis from History of magic and Potions. He spotted Hermione in the front row and went and sat next to her, Ron and Dean had already taken up their customary spots at the back. The new teacher, sat at the front of the classroom looking like a badly bedazzled toad. As soon as Harry turned to say something to Hermione the new teacher stood "This class is Defense Against the Dark Arts, year five. We will be learning negotiation, defensive retreat and choosing one's battles. These three skills will take you far in life.." Dean mumbled to Ron "And make you look like a Footballer scammin' for a red card."

Harry smirked but managed to suppress it when a sickly sweet voice came out of the toad "I am not sure I understand you Mr…" Dean nervously replied "Thomas, Professor." She smiled at him, Harry had never seen a smile look so threatening. "Well Mr. Thomas, in this class was raise our hand. And keep colloquialisms from lesser cultures to ourselves. Put away your wands, they will not be needed within this room. Please read chapter one." Harry and Hermione shared a glance then flipped open their books.

Within minutes Harry had confirmed his suspicions, the book was worse than useless. The author openly admitted to only having theoretical knowledge of anything and everything "In theory, one should be able to convince a werewolf that it is better for all involved if he submit to authorities" Harry was almost certain that was the dumbest thing that had ever been written. Harry felt Hermione raise her hand next to him, Professor Umbridge glanced at her and slowly blinked a few times  
"...Yes Miss?" Hermione put her hand back down and cleared her throat "Granger, Have the requirements for our OWL's changed?" Professor Umbridge stood, from her seat behind the teacher's desk and tapped the desktop with her short stubby nails in a quick staccato "No Mrs. Granger, They have not." Hermione nodded slowly as if thinking about the response "If I remember correctly we are to be tested on our ability for multiple offensive and defensive spells. How are we to be prepared for the exams if this class does not include any of it on the syllabus?"

Professor Umbridge tapped her nails for a few long moments then looked up with a sly look in her eyes "The best way to change a broken system is by demonstrating how worthless it is, is it not? If enough students who fail the test get by in life better than those who passed it before it would change would it not?" Hermione looked taken aback "You plan for us to fail our OWLs? Why are we even here in the first place?" Professor Umbridge smiled a large gloating smile "Why I thought that would be obvious, to learn an alternative to death and destruction. Do you plan to go out and murder anyone, Miss Granger?" Hermione shook her head slowly deflating.

'OvO'

The class packed up at the end of the period and left in silence, In Harry's experience, this was a first. Most classes ended with high spirited talk about how one could use a particular spell or maneuver they had learned in increasingly absurd ways. Seamus had once claimed to have a brilliant idea of how to kill anyone with one defensive spell, it took the better part of a week to convince him that you could not cast a shield in someone's mouth and have them explode. As Harry was reminiscing over the face Seamus had made when told even if you could there were spells specifically made to do so Hermione pulled him into an alcove by the strap of his book bag.

"Hermione…" she held a finger to her lips and rolled her eyes towards the way they had been heading. She pulled out a compact mirror and shone it around the corner, Harry saw Malfoy and a group of Slytherins talking heatedly, Harry mimed wiping sweat from his brow as they saw them turn a corner not far away and continue on. "Probably better not to be caught near the DA classroom by a pack of pissy Slytherins, I wonder what has them all riled up." Hermione shrugged "Wish we could have heard them." Harry slapped himself on the forehead and took off at top speed, Hermione watched him go slightly perplexed.

'OvO'

Harry pulled out the marauder's map and mumbled to himself "Now where are the twins…" the map helpfully scrolled and centered on two pairs of feet. That almost stopped Harry in his tracks, he shook his head and continued on to the top of the astronomy tower. He arrived seeing that it was still too early for classes and the twins were using it as a place to test a trick bludger, they were skillfully batting it back and forth as it rocketed around trying to get at one of the twins exclusively. Harry pulled out his wand and silently cast impedimenta at the ball, Fred looked at the ball oddly traveling slowly through the air then over to Harry noticing him.

"Harry! What did you do to it?" Harry walked up and watched as they shoved it back into a box strapping it down "Impediment spell, learned it for the tournament." George grunted as he shoved the ball back down and slid a heavy-duty latch in place "Got to figure out a way to counter that, not the easiest or most common spell but it will be on the list of things to try." Fred sat on the box nodding slowly looking deep in thought. Harry remembered all the times he had to dodge a bludger and looked at their newest joke nervously "You guys are going to have a shut-off switch on that thing right? One of those exclusively targeted on someone could kill them, or make it so some idiot removes all your bones."

Fred waved his hand in the air "Of course Harry, it is designed to rough someone up a bit. No one laughs at broken bones… Hey, what did you want? You did not come just to look at our winning smiles did you?" Harry shook his head "Had a bit of an issue eavesdropping on some Slytherins. You guys have any ideas?" George grinned and slipped a wad of flesh colored string from his pocket "We made these over the summer, you slip one side in your ear and…" He dropped what looked like a small detached ear on the ground and put a knob like end into his ear and it started crawling towards Harry.

Harry nudged it with his shoe "Anything less profoundly disturbing?" George cracked a smile "It is a little… weird. Not exactly stealthy either, give us a few days… And maybe loan us your wife." Harry nodded "No problem, you know… With Fleur taking enchanting lessons by tutor here we could join her." Fred looked curious "Never thought of taking more classes than Hogwarts offers." Harry motioned towards the door "It is about lunch time, let's see what Fleur thinks."

'OvO'

They did not see Fleur when they entered the great hall, they went to the front of the table and sat down to wait for both food and friends. George pulled out a piece of parchment with a few messy sketches on it, Harry leaned over and started to examine it "That looks like a poison and antidote… so do the other ones. What are you working on?" Fred grabbed the paper off the table and motioned towards the head table with his eyes. As he put it in his pocket he elbowed George "We can show you later, not the place. DA class is exceptionally useless this year unless you need a nice kip." George rubbed his side and nodded in agreement "We have been thinking about staying up late the night before, we have History and DA back to back. That is almost three hours of sleep."

Harry almost jumped out of his seat when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder, the twins gave him identical Cheshire cat grins "I am sorry 'Arry, did not mean to startle you." Fleur slid into the seat next to him as the food appeared, she scrunched her nose in a way Harry found adorable when she saw it was all English fare again. Harry got up and motioned for them to stay seated, he went out into the entrance hall and into the broom cupboard where he had hidden in first year. He touched the wall nostalgia washing over him for a second then whispered "Dobby."

Dobby appeared with a crack and a bow, his tennis ball sized eyes twinkled with joy "Master Harry sir called Dobby?" Harry clasped Dobby's upper arm for a second making the diminutive elf practically vibrate with suppressed joy "Sure did Dobby, you know last year how the kitchens served French food for our guests?" Dobby nodded his ears slapping his head "Yessir Master Harry sir." Harry knelt down so he could talk to Dobby face to face "Could you continue to serve French food to wherever Fleur is sitting, is that possible?"

Dobby jumped and clapped "Yessir Master Harry Sir! Dobby would be prouds to do it himself, I's is also in charge of you and flowers rooms." Harry reached out and hugged Dobby, Outside of Fleur it was one of his first "Thanks Dobby." Dobby nodded and disappeared with a crack, Harry hurried back into the hall and sat next to Fleur who raised her eyebrows inquisitively, she was picking at a salad and had pulled apart some fried fish to pick at the meat. A bowl of Builloibase appeared a few seconds later making Fleur squeal with joy. Harry grinned "Dobby must have found some already prepared somewhere for that quick of a turnaround. I asked if he could deliver French food to you at meals from now on." Fleur flashed him a dazzling smile and kissed him soundly before diving into her meal with much more verve then she had been showing before.

Fred pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote a note mumbling "Do nice things, get kissed." Fleur laughed making every boy in range glaze over "Your success may vary, depends 'ow enchanting your target finds you." Harry's head snapped up as he remembered what he wanted to talk to her about "Fleur, we wanted to ask if it was possible to join your enchanting tutoring." Fleur slowed the movement of her spoon to her mouth thinking, she sipped at the soup thoughtfully "I 'ave taught you enough 'arry you might keep up with difficulty, I would 'ave to ask if the professor is willing to take on two novices. Zey do not speak French…"

Fred thought about it looked at George for a split second then back across the table "Don't worry about it, we will leave the fancy stuff up to you two. If Harry wants his idea worked out tonight we will need your help though." Fleur glanced at Harry while nodding "Of course, what is ze idea?" Harry leaned over and gently moved her hair to whisper in her ear.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Checked this morning, still don't own any world famous franchises. Harry Potter not the least.**

 **A/N: Really struggled with parts of this one. Hope you guys like it.**

'OvO'

Harry and Fleur yawned in turns as they hid in the broom cabinet in the entry hall "'Arry zis is a terrible plan. 'E cannot possibly be stupid enough to…" a soft thump came from the other side of the door, they pushed it open just enough to see out. Vincent Crabbe partially blocked the door as he lay on the floor with a half-eaten sweet inches from his fingers. Harry shot Fleur a look that made her shake her head gently "'Ow does 'e pass 'is classes?" Harry shrugged and scooted out of the door swinging his invisibility cloak over his shoulders and pulling up the hood "I honestly don't know, maybe his parents donate lots of money." Fleur watched as the obese young man's tie rose up and a thin strip of worked copper appeared out of nowhere, it worked itself into the tie then flowed gently as Harry cast a permanent sticking charm on it.

The door opened wider than she had been holding it and she felt Harry's arms and a silky cloth encompass her. She felt his lips tickle her ear from behind "Let's get to the second-floor bathroom and test it out" he felt her wrap her arms around him backward, they slowly shuffled up to the out of order girls restroom. When they got in and the door closed behind them Harry pulled off the cloak "Okay, so we just listen to the watch?" Fleur pulled out a fancy gold pocket watch and opened the back carefully. Small pieces of clock work wiggled, clicked and rotated, as Harry watched a tiny hollow tube puffed a small cloud of lavender smoke.

Fleur pointed carefully at a small wound spring "Zis is ze spiral torsion spring, ze runes on ze piece in his tie match zis one and should bring sound one way when activated." Harry nodded as they both listened without hearing a thing for a few beats, Harry face palmed and spoke between his fingers "He is passed out in an empty entryway, we won't hear a thing until he wakes up or someone finds him." Fleur shrugged and took Harry's hand to lead him out of the bathroom "Ze watch will glow when it is activating. I am 'ungry."

'OvO'

Harry dearly wished he was as brave as the twins as he sat in DA class. The silence in the air and dry reading material he had finished half way through class was not helping anything, Hermione kept pinching his knee. Unlucky for Harry his latest nod off was noticed "That will be a detention with me Mr. Potter, tonight. After making up the return of a dark lord and marrying a beast I imagine everything else is yawn-worthy." The class gasped at her words every head turning to Harry to watch his reaction, Harry was the only one to see the gloating smile slowly stretch itself across her grotesque face.

Harry grimaced in a way that might be considered a smile if you suffered from facial blindness "I will be there Professor, I am sorry I did not understand the rest of what you said." Umbridge pursed her lips her eyes flaring "I said, Mr. Potter, that creating fanciful tales and cavorting with animals must be affecting your attentiveness." Harry nodded slowly and thoughtfully "As an avid consumer of excrement I imagine you can tell the difference between fact and fiction. And human and inhuman." Hermione's nails dug into his leg. Umbridge gave him a simpering smile fluttering her eyelashes "That comment will cost you a month of detentions Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled back at her, this time genuine "Oh it will be a pleasure. I will be able to tell you all about my wife. We can even trade baking recipes." The class tittered, ruddy color rose in Professor Umbridge's cheeks "I will not waste my evening listening to you natter away about your predilection for beastiality." The entire class looked at Harry, they did not expect him to throw back his head and laugh a deep belly laugh. He slapped his desk a few times making the class jump each time, he finally wiped a tear off his eye and retorted "The only people committing beastiliaty around this castle are the Welsh and whomever you pay to bugger you."

The entire class broke into laughter, even Hermione was covering her face and looking down at her desk. The sound of a wild cat roaring rent the air, Harry barely managed to dodge a beam of light he did not recognize from Umbridge's wand. Laughter turned to screams as the back wall exploded and debris filled the air. Harry dove for his bag, his wand being packed away. As he dug into his bag Hermione leaped from her seat and pulled her wand from behind her ear. He saw another beam cut through the desk he hid behind seconds before it hit him a large mirror like surface appeared in its path deflecting it out the window spraying glass outward. Hermione stood next to him with her wand in hand.

Umbridge snarled "Show you what a pureblood can do…" Her stubby wand swung towards Hermione, Harry frantically dug through his bag and pulled out his wand preparing to shield Hermione. He was too late, he almost gasped as he saw her surrounded in a halo of flying books and other debris. One flew into the path of a green blob shot by Umbridge and disintegrated. Hermione looked at it with clinical interest and started talking as if she was a professor in front of a class. "The average duelist learns a handful of common spells and becomes adept at using them. The average witch or wizard lives their lives using less than one hundred spells, and less than a dozen on an average basis."

Umbridge blasted another book out of the air as she spoke, the binding splitting in two "Here you see a below average student, her repertoire consisting of spells taught in the syllabus. Devoid of curiosity, creativity or a desire for learning. I doubt she is aware of the spell I am using to defend myself, and therefore unable to discern its weakness." Umbridge grasped her wand in both hands and a flash of light filled the room, black tentacles quickly slapped away the books defending Hermione. Without breaking pace she raised her wand and made a quick movement seeming to freeze them in place "Something not taught in Hogwarts, and dark at that. Family spells Professor? No matter, in essence, she summoned energy and shaped it with form and intent. Can anyone guess how I was able to halt the spell?"

Lavender Brown slowly raised her hand from behind a desk near the door "If she gave the spell intent to flail around, did you block her contact with it?" Hermione's eyes flicked towards Lavender and a small tight smile reminiscent of Professor McGonagall graced her features "Close Lavender, I changed the intent around me. She is not in constant contact, nor has she tried to impose intent upon them again. They will fade away as her power drains away with time." The bell rang and heads poked out looking towards the red-faced Professor and the door, Umbridge's mouth twitched but Hermione spoke before she did "Class dismissed."

Harry scrambled to his feet and watched as the class quickly filed out and Hermione stood her ground wand raised, the tentacles withering around her. Umbridge's face was going from red to a sickly white, her eyes had squeezed shut and her hands had fallen to her side. Harry grabbed both of their book bags and backed out of the room Hermione taking two quick side steps and swinging the door shut with a flick of her wand. Harry started following the rest of the class down the hall "Merlin Hermione, thanks for the save." When Harry had not received a response after a few moments he looked around, Hermione leaned against the wall of the classroom a few steps back taking deep steadying breaths and clutching at her chest.

Harry walked back and put a hand on her shoulder making her jump slightly, he pulled back his hand and curled it slightly as if burned then put it back and squeezed gently. "You okay Hermione?" She squeezed her eyes shut "I just attacked a teacher Harry, I am going to be expelled." Tears were forming in her eyes, hanging on her lashes "No you didn't Hermione, you did not fire a single offensive spell." Her head snapped up tears jostled from their perch to fall to the floor "You are right Harry…" Harry rubbed the back of his neck and smirked: "It happens sometimes, we should probably go report this to Dumbledore."

'OvO'

The Gargoyle stood impassively as they knocked poked and prodded "How did you get it to move in the past?" Harry shrugged "It always just kind of did it for me, he does use sweets as passwords." Hermione looked at the Gargoyle and held out a hand ticking off her fingers as she spoke "Sugar Mice, Jelly slug, caramel cobwebs, pumpkin pasty, dragon claws…" she looked like she was deep in thought for a second "pepper imps, fizzing whizbees, acid pop?" The Gargoyle leaped aside. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and shook their heads laughing.

They stepped onto the stairs and waited as they slowly were brought to the door, Harry reached out and used the knocker. The door swung open, Harry saw Dumbledore's backside aimed at them as he had his face submerged in a glowing white liquid. Harry and Hermione rushed forward and pulled the ancient wizards face from the bowl. They watched with concern as he gasped and looked around the room "What…?, Harry? Oh my. I am sorry I was occupied, did I summon you?" Harry shook his head "Are you, okay headmaster? We thought you might be drowning."

Dumbledore looked at them over his spectacles for a moment then swept around his desk and sat in his chair "I can see how it would appear that way, I was simply viewing a past memory. That artifact is called a Pensieve, they are very rare and valuable. They allow you to extract and view memories as if you were there." Dumbledore watched the pair as they took in that information, his experienced eyes picking up the small signs of battle on them. "Now that you know what I was doing, why don't you two tell me why you are covered in debris. If I did not know any better I would think you were fighting on school grounds."

"Yes, sir we were." Harry said, making Dumbledore's eyebrows raise "I mean, Professor Umbridge attacked me. We defended ourselves." Dumbledore looked at them intently for a few beats. Harry felt like he was being x-rayed. "I believe I should see this for myself, would either of you consent to have the memory extracted? I will return it, naturally." Harry nodded and stood up when Hermione put her hand on his arm and stood "Mine will probably be more useful, I was a witness and the main target." Harry nodded slowly "You did have your face covered when she cast her first spell, maybe we should give him both?"

Dumbledore nodded "The more evidence the better" he stood and walked back over to the Pensieve. He put his wand to the side of his head and slowly drew out a smokey silvery strand and placed it into the bowl "As you see the process is painless, all you need to do is concentrate on the memory and not resist the sensation of it being drawn out." Harry stepped over and watched with fascination as his memory of the class was extracted. It was like his recollection if it suddenly got a little fuzzy as if it had happened years ago. Hermione went next, Harry almost laughed at the intense look of concentration on her face but held back.

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully then surveyed them for a moment "You two should join me, it will be quicker if I can ask any questions." Harry nodded as did Hermione, they stepped forward and watched Dumbledore place his finger in the bowl his eyes going blank. They looked at each other and shrugged in unison and tentatively put their fingers into the bowl. A dizzying falling sensation made Harry's stomach rise into his throat then suddenly he found himself standing at the back of the Defense Against Dark Arts class.

Harry watched with fascination as the scene played out, it was an odd thing to see yourself from outside. He was sloppy about retrieving his wand and really should have been on his feet assisting Hermione he thought. He watched with a small measure of pride as she controlled the battlefield, he had never thought of her as a fighter. But his opinion changed as he watched her calm demeanor, from next to him Hermione whispered "I looked like that?" As Harry nodded absently the memory restarted from a slightly different angle. It started black, Hermione's face being covered, the sounds all the louder. The rest was similar but more detailed than Harry's what had been simply background noise for him was in sharp detail. He could read the titles on the books and see the spittle fly from Umbridge's mouth as she spoke.

When it ended they found themselves standing back in Dumbledores office "Very impressive Miss Granger, a multi-object protective shield. I was under the impression I had invented that one." Hermione blushed and looked at her shoes "You did sir, I found it in twelve uses for dragon's blood. Well, at least you mentioned utilizing a similar spell in your handling of the dragons and I figured out how to do it myself." Dumbledore looked at her, Harry was not sure but he thought he saw a measure of respect that had not been there before "Very well done, I think we can expect great things from you, Miss Granger… I need to borrow these memories. I need a word with Cornelius."

Harry and Hermione nodded as Dumbledore put his hand on the small of their back and guided them to the door of his office "I will return them as soon as I am able, please continue your day normally."

'OvO'

That night at Dinner the Headmaster and Umbridge were missing, rumors spread quickly about her being dragged out of her offices in chains. It seemed to be shared with glee by all of the houses except Slytherin who seemed unusually subdued. Harry headed up to his room hopeful he found Fleur studying on their bed, he plopped down next to her and laid his head in her lap and closed his eyes. The comforting feeling of her fingers running through his hair almost made him pass out when her voice shook him out of it "Want to tell me about what happened?" Harry opened his eyes and looked past the swell of her breasts at her face from beneath, he took a deep breath and tried to speak. He tried really hard to remember specifics then remembered Dumbledore still had his memories "Sorry Fleur, Dumbledore borrowed my memory of it… I can kind of see its shape but… it is like it's not quite there." She ruffled his hair and closed her book laying back.

"Guess I will 'ave to wait till you get it back or we find someone else to tell me" Harry nodded and ran his hand along her side absently. After a few minutes she rolled over and pinned him to the bed locking lips with him, she pulled back and looked into his eyes "Stop zat, it makes it 'ard to concentrate" Harry grinned and started running both his hands up and down her sides "Oh?" she giggled and put all of her weight against him trying to pin his arms but failing. They attacked each other with fingers, hands, and lips trying to tickle and tease.

'OvO'

Dumbledore found himself frustrated in front of the newly minted 'Education counsel' he paced back and forth "You can not possibly give this woman more authority over Hogwarts. You just saw evidence she attacked two students." The minister stood "All I saw was a teacher putting a student through defensive training. It was most impressive, Miss Umbridge must be a most impressive teacher for her students to be so well versed." Dumbledore could not have looked any more surprised if the minister had turned into a crumple-horned snorkack. He raised his hand as if to speak "No Dumbledore, enough of your subversive activities. You have been given far too much latitude, as you have pointed out only you can expel a student. Which is why this counsel has passed educational decree number twenty-four. Miss Umbridge should not have any more trouble with trouble makers should she?"

Dumbledore looked at his hands for a moment then looked up "I suppose not minister, who attends Hogwarts still rests in my hands." Cornelius's cheeks turned red and his lips almost formed a snarl before he calmed himself "For now Dumbledore, there are many concerned parents. We are simply ensuring that you answer to someone." The aged wizard nodded to each member of the counsel Malfoy giving him a small smirk as he turned and walked out the door looking just a little older.

'OvO'

The next morning on the way to breakfast Harry and Fleur saw a group of students around a wall just inside the entrance to the great hall. They whispered and jostled to view something near the front, Fleur quirked an eyebrow at him. Harry pushed his way through the younger years and found himself standing next to Lee Jordan who was reading an official-looking document that hung next to two others. "What are these Lee?" Lee looked at Harry and nodded at him as if to acknowledge his presence then looked back at one of the scrolls "Educational decree twenty-two through twenty-four Harry. First says the Ministry can assign teachers, think that is how we got the toad, second says she is now a 'Grand Inquisitor' whatever that is" He went back to reading the second scroll.

Harry's eyes went to the third "The Hogwarts inquisitor will have supreme authority to punish students…" Harry made his way back to Fleur shaking his head as he did "She attacks students and is given authority to do whatever punishment she wants… couldn't she before?" Fleur shrugged as they made their way towards their table. Harry accidentally bumped someone on his way, he snapped his head around and saw Malfoy brushing himself off "Watch it, Potter, that's fifty points from Gryffindor." Harry looked at Malfoy oddly and chuckled "You are a prefect Malfoy, not a teacher, you can't take house points. It would completely undermine the system." Harry felt a tug on his robe and he looked at Fleur who was pointing at the hour glasses, Gryffindor had been emptied. He looked back at Malfoy who was buffing a silver badge next to his prefect's badge with an 'I' on it.

"Inquisitorial squad, specially requested. My father is a friend of the Inquisitor and one of the Ministers closest confidants. I suggest you respect your betters, Potter." Harry watched him walk away laughing, they made their way to the table and sat down. The twins walked up to the table and sat down. George leaned across "We have something for you, Harry. We were up all night working the wrinkles out, recent developments caused us to expedite development." He pulled out a small two-sided eraser from his bag and handed it to Harry "It is edible, purple side when you start class, pink side when you have been excused." Harry quirked an eyebrow but slipped it into his pocket.

"Malfoy is going to be a nightmare, guess in a way it is a good thing we are out of points" The twins looked at the hour glasses which were all empty except Hufflepuff and Slytherin, Hufflepuff had a hand full and Slytherins was about ready to burst, they shrugged in unison "Never much cared who won or lost. We got to go… got a few more prototypes to work out. Tell us how it works." Harry watched them go, he took a last bite and kissed Fleur on the cheek "Have a good day, I am not that hungry. Better to get it over with." She nodded and squeezed his forearm "see you at dinner, double period potions for the seventh year, then my enchanting tutor during lunch." Harry headed off grateful that he did not have DA again for a few days.

'OvO'

In the few days since the educational degrees, the school had become a battlefield. Every House point in the hour glass was in the Slytherins glass. Students from the other houses walked around in groups to avoid the Inquisitorial Squad. Thankfully the weekend had rolled around, Harry and Fleur decided to pick up some books from the library. Fleur had ducked into a bathroom on the way, Harry waited outside studying the dirt under his nails.

Fleur was straightening her hair in the mirror when she saw a pulsing light from her opened bag. She slowly drew out the watch she had enchanted for Harry, she had completely forgotten about her attempt at eavesdropping. She flipped it open and heard tiny voices fill the bathroom.

'OvO'

"Go away Malfoy, why are you even bothering me when Pansy is ready to climb into your bed?" Fleur heard a derisive chuckle "She is politically useful. But in the looks department, she does not hold a candle to you Greengrass." deep dry guffaws were louder than the words for a moment "... you should be grateful I am considering you as a consort, you should be nice to me. My father controls the government." The sound of a female snorting rang off the bathroom tiles "Your father is a rat that whispers into the ear of power and will never be anything more." The sound of a sharp slap and a female sob made Fleur grasp the sink her knuckles going white. "Crabbe, Goyle hold her…" The rustling of fabric and grunting both male and female filled the air, then a shriek "How dare you touch me!"

'OvO'

Harry absent mindedly hummed to himself as he waited when the door burst open slamming against the wall. Fleur flew out of the door running full tilt her hand held out in front of her as if she was being led somewhere, Harry followed her at full tilt. They went down more and more stairs until they were somewhere in the basement, Harry could hear sounds of distress up ahead. Fleur turned a corner and stopped allowing Harry to catch up with her.

He saw Crabbe and Goyle holding Daphne against a wall, Malfoy was saying something to her he couldn't hear and reaching to grab her chin. She spat in his face and Goyle punched her in the gut making her curl in on herself unable to slump to the ground. Fleur stalked forward flames dancing around her, her wand drawn. With a flick of her wrist, Malfoy flew down the hall like a rag doll and impacted a wall going limp. "She. Never. Gave. You. Permission!" she bit out and she marched forward. Crabbe and Goyle released Daphne who fell to the floor and turned to look at Fleur, Harry quickly fired off two stunners from behind her catching them in the chest sending them to the ground.

Fleur stood over them taking deep wracking breaths, she pulled back her foot and kicked them in the fork a few times each screeching. Harry jogged forward and put a hand on her shoulder and her arms slumped, she turned with tears on her cheeks then went to help Daphne to her feet. Harry stood behind her looking unsure "Miss Greengrass is it? It is okay zey will not 'urt you anymore." Daphne accepted her hand and stood to brush herself off "I could have handled them… but thank you. You two should leave before anyone else sees this." They both looked at her hesitating when she motioned with both hands.

'OvO'

Harry and Fleur sat eating lunch discussing ideas with the twins when they heard the noise around them drop. The Greengrass sisters were walking up to the head table, Daphne sported a fresh black eye and Astoria a torn robe. Daphne stopped a few feet in front of Dumbledore, Snape stood "What is the meaning of this? Sit down." From Harry's seat at the front of the Gryffindor table he could just make out her eyes as she looked up, Ice blue rimmed with red. The look she gave Snape was scathing "You are no longer my head of house, you have failed me, my sister, and this school." She reached up and ripped off her green tie with an audible sound of tearing cloth, she tossed it onto the ground in front of her and spit on it. Her younger sister carefully untied hers and threw it along her sisters.

Umbridge cleared her throat "Young lady, you have no choice. You are of Slytherin house." Astoria slipped her hand into her sisters and her quavering voice was hesitant but clear "No one at Hogwarts is forced into a house they do not want." Daphne tore at her robe then roughly cast a severing charm at the crest exposing a small part of her bra, she threw it along with her tie on the pile. She looked down at her silver piped robes and with a frustrated grunt took them off and threw them onto the ground "I will not be a part of the house of corruption for one second longer." Umbridge leaned forward "I am sorry you feel that way my dear, Slytherin is a proud house. It has a long history of civic service." Daphne snorted "You mean a long history of bribery, murder, and blackmail."

Snape slowly put down his fork "Enough of this farce, you have no choice. The hat chose you to be part of Slytherin house, now I suggest you repair your robes and return to your dorm where we will discuss your behavior." Daphne looked up from the clothing on the ground, her shoulders back and her feet spread, Harry had seen people spoiling for a fight many times in his life; this was not one of those times. It was clear she was terrified, clear she did not want this fight, but Harry saw in Daphne something he felt in himself. She had no choice but to stand up for herself, to fight the losing fight no matter the cost, any other choice would break her.

With a shaking hand she drew her wand and held it between two hands, her knuckles going as white as her bloodless face "I do have a choice, and you cannot take it from me." Dumbledore held up his hand and in a calming tone spoke to her "Miss Greengrass, snapping your wand would set you on a path out from the magical world. To be one of us no longer." Daphne's shoulders quivered then straightened as her hands flexed her wand. Dumbledore looked into her eyes for a brief moment and gave her a small nod "Enough miss Greengrass, your request is granted."

Snape stood up "Headmaster, Slytherin is already…" Dumbledore held up his hand "Professor Snape, Hogwarts is here to teach. If it is a choice between losing two students or rehousing them then our path is clear." He turned back to Daphne "I suggest you gather your clothes and put on something…" Umbridge cleared her throat "I am afraid Headmaster that as Grand Inquisitor I have…" Dumbledore's eyes crackled with inner power "No power to assign students house." They glared at each other, a brief battle of wills as Umbridge looked away and stomped out the great hall in a huff. From Harry's position at the head of Gryffindor table, he heard his head of house say "Bet you a bottle of Ogden's where she is going…" Flitwick shook his head at his co-worker's comment "No bet Minerva."

Daphne and Astoria stood in the middle of the uproar as Snape's voice rose only to be drowned out by the crowd of students. When Harry looked around to ask Fleur what she thought he saw her seat empty. As he looked around for her blonde hair in the increasingly agitated room Hermione poked his arm and pointed. He watched as his wife summoned the all black robes she had worn to school, they came flying through the great halls doors and into her outstretched hand. Then she wrapped the garment around Daphne along with her arms.


End file.
